Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Turkey Related Subjects => Turkey Discussion Forum (Not Calis specifically) => Topic started by: Colwyn on March 14, 2016, 14:52:08 PM
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Hilary came back from Morrisons at lunchtime and announced she had bought a wonky cauliflower. What? I looked at the wrapping and, sure enough, it said "Wonky Veg". Apparently this is part of a move in UK supermarkets in response to rising criticism about food waste. Non-perfect vegetables and fruit are now on sale. This cauliflower had more leaves on one side than the other and, according to Hilary, was smaller than the "best" ones. It was also 38p cheaper. It is fine. Farmers have been complaining for years about unfair supermarket standards that exclude large amounts of nutritious produce and I support the change.
HOWEVER ... I do wonder how things work in Turkey. If you go to a weekly market you see great trestle tables covered with fruit and veg that is not only blemish free but also of identical size and colour. Mugla, the provincial capital, has a market which is a work of art. Stunning produce stretching for a hundred metres. I suspect that this is achieved without such an extensive use of pesticides, fertilizers and other technology that feature in UK farming. Is it so difficult to produce the standard of fruit & veg that used to be demanded by UK supermarkets? Turkish farmers seem to do it.
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There's always been a huge difference between what "the supermarkets demand" and what the supermarkets say "the customer demands". Most shoppers, especially those of the older generation, were quite happy with the "odd" shaped fruit and veg that they'd grown up with, but the supermarkets insisted on uniform shape and size for asthetic reasons and, until now, that's been the standard.
ASDA started to sell "Wonky Veg" in boxes a few weeks ago. Morrison's have followed suit and Tesco's have said they'll be "rolling it out" in about 200 stores on a trial basis in the next couple of weeks.
As for the locally grown Turkish produce, I know from experience that village farmers take their best looking produce to the markets and keep the odd shaped for their own use and for animal feed. Produce that's "imported" into the markets from outside the Fethiye area has generally been through large produce sorting and distribution centres that have similar standards to that of supermarkets.
There are a couple of these distribution centres on the D400 at Karaculha that specialise in tomatoes. Those that are rejected are sent from there to be chopped or pulped at manufacturers of tomato based foods.
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Turkish farmers are not hampered the way UK farmers are by the ever changing edicts coming out of Brussels.
Non farmers telling traditional farmers how to farm cannot have helped. Remember the Butter Mountains & Wine Lakes.?
Thousands of acres of centuries old orchards bulldozed. Our fishing industry decimated so that European fishermen could
have our fish stocks, (and leave the UK a laughing stock). It may not answer your wonky query but iv'e got that off my chest. :)
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It may not answer your wonky query but iv'e got that off my chest. :)
I thought it was a pretty wonky answer.
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On the level.?? You're just saying that.
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Give it time and the 'Wonky Veg' in uk supermarkets will soon be the same price as the 'standard' veg :( ;D ;)
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Certain cuts of meat are going the same way - previously cheap cuts e.g. breast of lamb, brisket, ox tail are now commanding exorbitant prices in Morrison's et al.
My local butcher still charges only £1.00 per kilo for breast of lamb and gives away pigs' trotters for a "donation".
Morrison's charges £6.00 per kilo for breast of lamb and a few quid for a couple of trotters. Brisket is up in the normal beef charges.
It's the effect of TV's promotion of "nose to tail" use of the animal. Not a bad approach but cheap cuts are not available in many places.
In Sainsbury's, last weekend, rump steak was cheaper than braising steak (it was on offer but still...)
Even in my local farm shop organic "dirty" potatoes are way more expensive than the cleaned ones. The organic "wonky" carrots look awful.
The only concession I make to these "fads" is buying free range eggs and free range chickens. They really do taste different to the factory farmed stuff and have a totally different consistency - plus, the factory raised chickens have a horrible life.
Offal is still available at reasonable prices - today I made (lamb's) liver and bacon in onion gravy with mashed potato and peas for four of us at less than £1.50 a head. Delicious and a good price.
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I get most of my stuff from local Market/Car Boots. Eggs £2 Doz, Duck eggs £1.50 half Doz. sometimes laid the day I buy them.
1 Kilo Venison Rump £5. 00. I recently bought 40 Fillet Steaks coming up to date £2.00 each, just freeze them until needed.Iv'e
got 30 packs of Butter in the freezer, coming up to date, 40p per pack.Tinned food by the case, very cheap. Just shop around.
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Duck eggs £1.50 half Doz. sometimes laid the day I buy them.
Those eggs do sound very lucky for you Kev
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Kevin - can I borrow an egg please?
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Yeah, want a cup of sugar. ?
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Last weekend I bought a pack of 6 British eggs XL size from Sainsbury's. Used three to make an omelette and each one was a "double yolker!" Is this a record? ??? ;D
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You must be yolking !
A British cake decorator was 'egg-static' over the weekend after cracking open 29 double-yolked eggs from the same carton.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/british-woman-cracks-open-29-double-yolked-eggs-in-a-row-2304092.html
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: :) Well KKOB you've cracked me up! There was I, all whipped up with egg-citement!
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You'll have to shell-out on a few more eggs mate.
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;D ;D ;D