# Vegetable rationing!



## Lindarose (Feb 3, 2017)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38851097

Only 3 lettuces at a time?


----------



## Northerner (Feb 3, 2017)

Just heard this on the radio! We'll have to start buying Trump lettuces!


----------



## New-journey (Feb 3, 2017)

I have just heard and going to go and buy all the broccoli and courgettes I can find!


----------



## Robin (Feb 3, 2017)

Spanish spinach was affected too. I've been buying huge bags of Lincolnshire kale for £1 each in Waitrose recently, which I discovered by accident makes a very acceptable substitute for spinach in soup.


----------



## Mark Parrott (Feb 3, 2017)

No courgettes anywhere here.  I NEED COURGETTES!!!


----------



## ChrisSamsDad (Feb 3, 2017)

Pssst? Wanna buy some 'green'? no questions asked.


----------



## trophywench (Feb 3, 2017)

I have to say that growing up when all fresh produce was absolutely seasonal - we never missed out,  They hadn't invented eg courgettes or aubergines as far as we were aware - yet we all survived by simply changing what we cooked and ate, as appropriate to what was available.  So we'll just have to react as we all had to then, won't we!

Nobody actually NEEDS courgettes - though you might quite easily LIKE to have some!


----------



## grovesy (Feb 3, 2017)

Thing is do we have any local produced seasonal vegetables?


----------



## mikeyB (Feb 3, 2017)

I buy a lot of locally grown veg, winter cabbages and broccoli, Romanesco, leeks, but a lot of local stuff is below ground veg - suede ('neeps') and turnip. There's large vegetable fields up at Glengorm Castle and farm. That's about 15 food miles. Local enough for you?


----------



## grovesy (Feb 3, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> I buy a lot of locally grown veg, winter cabbages and broccoli, Romanesco, leeks, but a lot of local stuff is below ground veg - suede ('neeps') and turnip. There's large vegetable fields up at Glengorm Castle and farm. That's about 15 food miles. Local enough for you?


Yeah but you are in a very rural area. I am in the middle of Essex.


----------



## mikeyB (Feb 3, 2017)

There are _some_ fields in Essex, though, I'm told. And I bet there is more arable land in Essex than there is on this volcanic peaty island.


----------



## grovesy (Feb 3, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> There are _some_ fields in Essex, though, I'm told. And I bet there is more arable land in Essex than there is on this volcanic peaty island.


Not seen many veg! Plenty of Rape. Used regularly walk past field of bean crop but it was left die then ploughed in.


----------



## trophywench (Feb 3, 2017)

grovesy said:


> Not seen many veg! Plenty of Rape. Used regularly walk past field of bean crop but it was left die then ploughed in.



Crop rotation - grow leguminous crop (used to cite clover for this) and plough back in, to replace the nitrogen in the soil.  Bearing in mind I learned this in junior school, doesn't everybody?  (Rhetorical question because quite obviously, No!)


----------



## Matt Cycle (Feb 3, 2017)

This will probably bypass a lot of the population - er, er what's a vegetable?  Is it them bits I chuck away when I get mi big mac or kebab?


----------



## Robin (Feb 3, 2017)

Matt Cycle said:


> This will probably bypass a lot of the population - er, er what's a vegetable?  Is it them bits I chuck away when I get mi big mac or kebab?


Yeah, it's that funny green bit in the middle, which I assume is packaging.


----------



## grovesy (Feb 3, 2017)

trophywench said:


> Crop rotation - grow leguminous crop (used to cite clover for this) and plough back in, to replace the nitrogen in the soil.  Bearing in mind I learned this in junior school, doesn't everybody?  (Rhetorical question because quite obviously, No!)


No they get paid for ploughing back in.


----------



## Robin (Feb 3, 2017)

trophywench said:


> Crop rotation - grow leguminous crop (used to cite clover for this) and plough back in, to replace the nitrogen in the soil.  Bearing in mind I learned this in junior school, doesn't everybody?  (Rhetorical question because quite obviously, No!)


I did it at school. Nitrogen fixing nodules in the roots, I seem to remember. They grow field beans every few years round here, on a rotation, and plough them back in.  Rest of the time we have wheat, rape, and sometimes mangelwurzels for winter sheep fodder.


----------



## trophywench (Feb 3, 2017)

Yeah they may get paid but seeing they wouldn't be able to grow so much in the field anyway next time if they didn't do that, one can hardly complain.  It's to encourage them to do it properly without knackering up the supply chain for indefinite periods.  No crop from Farmer Giles this year, he's giving his land a rest, next year it will be Farmer McDonald next door, etc.


----------



## Mark Parrott (Feb 3, 2017)

Think i'm eating the wrong food for the time of year.  I've never had to stick with seasonal veg.  Problem is Winter veg is more carby, though turnips are ok.  Love leeks too.


----------



## mikeyB (Feb 3, 2017)

I like leeks in winter, you can write your name in the snow.

(Joke courtesy of the British Homophone Society)


----------



## Ljc (Feb 4, 2017)

I bet loads of kids are delighted to hear about veg rationing


----------



## Northerner (Feb 4, 2017)




----------



## jusme (Feb 4, 2017)

We grow most of our own veg so have no worries at the moment but OH has put some more lettuce seeds in just in case as we eat salad 365 days a year!  Down here in Kent (the garden of England) there is plenty of fruit and vegetables growing and plenty of farm shops selling their own produce.

jusme


----------



## HOBIE (Feb 4, 2017)

jusme said:


> We grow most of our own veg so have no worries at the moment but OH has put some more lettuce seeds in just in case as we eat salad 365 days a year!  Down here in Kent (the garden of England) there is plenty of fruit and vegetables growing and plenty of farm shops selling their own produce.
> 
> jusme


Well done Jusme, Keeps you active as well


----------



## FergusC (Feb 4, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> I like leeks in winter, you can write your name in the snow.
> 
> (Joke courtesy of the British Homophone Society)


Ah, leeks! Remember growing them in pottery field drains on end so that they blanched themselves (bl00dy big too!)


----------



## trophywench (Feb 4, 2017)

The leek - a much under-rated vegetable, IMHO

Expensive investment these days, a length of pottery drain pipe - over £11 a metre at Wickes LOL


----------

