Jamie Oliver has had some success transforming the way UK schools feed our children and now he wants to show the US how to feed their children. Jamie’s got his bad points but he’s pretty much a hero in my opinion. OK, so we might see him as being in the pocket of the big supermarkets but his heart is undoubtedly in the right place. If Jamie can persuade people that children can and do like vegetables then he will have done well.

I’m not at all sure how we reached this place where it’s just assumed that children don’t like veg. It seems quite strange to me, I always had more trouble getting them to eat meat! I suppose I was dealing with children who had mostly started off as vegetarian and been weaned onto vegetable solids. My bible was Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Mother and Baby, I’d read Let’s Have Healthy Children (out of print and not that accurate) and I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Veggies make great weaning finger foods (carrots are obvious but try sticks of celariac or fennel!), mashed avacado is just about a perfect weaning food, and once they are a little bit older salad or pizza faces that they decorate themselves will usually be demolished in double quick time.

Vegetable box

Anyway, listen to what Jamie has to say and then take another look at what came in this week’s vegetable box and see what you can do to make it attractive to your kids. If you are stuck for ideas just leave a comment and I’ll try to come up with something.

The film will be shown around the country and The Soil Association  are looking for volunteers to hand out information and membership leaflets. You can find out the dates and book on the official Food Inc. site

The film is promoting 10 Things You Can Do to Change Our Food System but it’s very US orientated so I thought I’d do us a UK version:

10 Things You Can Do to Change Our Food System

1. Drink fewer sweetened fizzy drinks and cut down sugar in tea & coffee
   
2. Eating in is the new going out
3. Support moves to force fast food outlets to publish calorie and fat content information on menues
4. Get soft drinks machines removed from local schools
5. Meatless Mondays – go without meat for just 1 day a week
6. Buy organic where possible, when not possible go for sustainable local food
7. Protect family farms. Find your local Farmers Market and use it. Buy organic boxes direct from farms.
8. Make a point of knowing where your food comes from. READ THE LABELS!
9. Tell the government that food safety matters to you – join the Soil Association and support their campaigns.
10. Demand job protection for farm workers and food processors, including improved protection when using pesticides and other chemicals, and decent wages.
    

1: Spending Too Much Time in the Aisles

The aisles of supermarkets, large or small, are full of processed, chemically enhanced foods in too much packaging. The supermarket relies on lulling us into a trance. Everything is designed to get us into that semi-hypnotic state were we wander the aisles collecting what grabs our attention, much as our hunter/gatherer ancestors wandered the woods. Except, of course what they were picking up was rather more natural than anything we’re likely to find! There’s a whole area of psychology devoted to the way we shop and every thing in the supermarket is designed to keep us wandering those aisles for as long as possible. It’s simple really. The longer we are there the more we are likely to buy.

The next one leads on from the first but doesn’t sound like a mistake. We all want to know what we’re eating right? Wrong!

2: Reading the Labels

The eye-catching products in the aisles sport words designed to grab our attention. They are full of claims like “healthy”, “fat-free”, “sugar-free” and “low calorie”. These are simply marketing statements to lure you in. Ah, but we’re too clever to be fooled by those, aren’t we? We turn over and pour over the nutrition statement and the ingredients list.Trouble is we often think that if the calories or fat grams are low or there are a lot of vitamins listed we’re OK. Er, no. Those added vitamins can mean that the food has had most of its goodness stripped during the processing or they may even be there to extend the shelf life not for your benefit at all

3: Buying food that contains transgenics
Products containing corn or soy, may be made from genetically modified or transgenic seeds. It is estimated that up to 90% of all soy grown and up to half of all corn is transgenic. These are not identified as such on most ingredient labels. Whatever the arguments for or against no one knows for sure the consequences of eating GM food.

Our supermarket advice

OK I should be honest here. I hate supermarkets and avoid them if at all possible. If you must go to the supermarket:

• Take a list.
• Set yourself a deadline.
• Check the organic section first
• If there’s anything in the ingredients list you don’t recognise assume the worst and leave it on the shelf.
• Only buy basic items and avoid processed stuff.
• Buy your organic food from someone you trust to be as concerned with where your food has come from as you are.

Better yet, buy your organic groceries through your favourite organic vegetable box scheme. Most of them offer a range of groceries at competitive prices. While we are at it let’s just remember that we’ll be saving the cost of driving to the supermarket and the time (not to mention wear and tear on the nerves!) that the trip takes. In most cases you can place your order online and you groceries are delivered with your organic vegetable boxes at no extra cost.

What’s in season over the early winter months ?

organic boxes

Here’s what you can expect to find in your organic boxes in the early winter.

A list of what could be the ingredients for the world’s greatest stew!

Organic Vegetables from the boxes

Romanesco and white cauliflower,

red, green and savoy cabbage,

purple, white and orange carrots,

leeks,

Ramiro Pepper

red and white onions

pumpkins,

squash,

beetroot,

brussel sprouts

celery

celeriac

turnips

parsnips

curly black and Russian kale,

Isle of Jura, Orla and other main crop potatoes

sweet potato

flat leaf parsley and other hardier herbs

Organic Fruit from the Boxes

Apples

You might already have more apples than you can deal with coming from the garden anyway, in which case why not find out how to make cider ?

Pears

Oranges (just coming in)

Fair trade bananas

So there you are – these are the sorts of things you might expect to find in your organic boxes of fruit and vegetables over the next couple of months.

“Well, they are. In Sainsburys!”

In season now – things you might expect to find in organic boxes in September and October

organic boxes - Autumn vegetables

Autumn Organic Vegetables in The UK

With most basic organic box schemes you can expect some staples, (usually carrots, onions and potatoes) plus some more interesting seasonal vegetables. Most companies offer a variety of organic boxes to suit different needs. Some, like Abel & Cole, let you specify anything you don’t want included or add extras.

• Aubergine
• Beetroot – not just for putting in vinegar! Recipes soon.
• Broccoli – the big green one not the purple sprouting Spring kind
• Cabbage – Several kinds :green pointed, not so hearty as later cabbage, first of the red cabbage, small round green ones just starting to appear.
• Carrots
• Cauliflower – just starting to appear.
• Celery
• Courgettes – larger than August, more like small marrows
• Kale – this is a winter staple but might be just starting to appear.
• Leeks – big thick ones are now in season. Think hearty soups like leek and potato.
• Potatoes – main crop varieties like Cosmos
• Peppers – mostly red now
• Spinach
• Sweet corn – modern varieties ripen well in the UK, peak season end of September/early October
• Sweet potatoes – great alternative to ordinary potatoes
• Squashes – mostly butternut but pumpkins and marrows later.
• Swiss Chard
• Tomatoes – big fat ripe ones for cooking, still some cherry ones too.
• White Onions – not so strong as later but moist and crunchy

Autumn Fruit in the UK – things you might expect in organic boxes in October

Not all organic boxes include fruit but it can be a good way of making sure there is fresh fruit available to your family every week without fail.

• Apples – just starting to come in, gorgeous fresh, early English apples. Often small just now but full of flavour.
• Pears – English varieties, not just Conference but other more interesting ones. Hard when they arrive a few days in the fruit bowl and they’ll be delicious. Or you could always make Pears in Red Wine (I’ll add a recipe section soon!)
• Plums – if you are lucky the tail end of the English plums might still be around. Yum!

A few imported extras you might find in your organic boxes in October

People running organic box schemes are mostly realists and they know that families sometimes want things out of season. You can expect that despite being imported these extras will still be fresh, organic and will not have been air freighted.

• Bananas – OK, so these are imported but most families want them! Getting organic ones delivered is a real bonus.
• Grapes – these are seasonal, and in season right now, even if brought over from Spain. Enjoy!
• Oranges – not really at their best yet but still welcome.

Next Month – What to Expect in Winter Organic Boxes

This will list some of the vegetables and fruits you might find in organic boxes in the next few months.

Organic boxes can actually save you money as well as save the planet, according to the Manchester Evening News. A recent article suggests that many people are cutting back on buying organic in supermarkets and are looking round for cheaper solutions.

Organic Boxes – 5 ways they save you money

Organic boxes are one way of continuing to eat well whilst still saving a few pounds.

1. You still get healthy organic produce but don’t pay a hefty supermarket premium.
2. Produce is often locally sourced so uses few food miles. Who do you think pays for all those transportation costs?
3. It’s usually fresher than anything you find in the supermarkets and so it keeps better, meaning less waste at the end of the week.
4. Your box will be full of seasonal produce which will still have its maximum nutritional value – more vitamins for your money.
5. There are no nasty surprises at the checkout. Your bill is the same from week to week so it’s easier to plan your spending.

Abel and Cole – “hundreds of new customers every week”

Ella Heeks from Abel and Cole, one of the major delivery services for organic boxes says that although some people are feeling the pinch many are still making organic food a priority

“A lot of people are feeling the pinch financially and it’s definitely a challenge for businesses at the moment, but we’re still welcoming hundreds of new customers every week”

Ella thinks this is because people are returning to home cooking and re-learning the art of planning a week’s meals for the family rather than relying on expensive takeaways and cook chill meals.

So if you want an affordable treat that helps to keep your family healthy then organic boxes are a great idea.

** Check if Abel & Cole deliver organic boxes in your area **

(photo credit -Wordridden)