What’s happened to our food?

Do you ever look in people’s shopping trolleys to see what they’ve bought for dinner?

If you have, what’s the bet:

• You’ll see boxes of ready-made meals taking up loads of space


• But what real value are they getting for their money?


• Do those beautifully labeled boxes of processed food warrant the prices we pay for them


• They’re labeled with pictures of delicious looking food


• But what’s inside is always a disappointment

If you’ve always bought ready-made meals, check out the difference in cost between them and what you’d pay to make that meal yourself. Over a month this could be as much as the cost of a meal out for four Local Food Suppliers

Years ago, before I knew much about how our food is manufactured, and long before I came to realize that we’ve in fact had our food stolen from us by the food manufacturing industry; Food Standards Agency I can remember longing to earn enough to buy all my family’s food requirements from Marks & Spencers or Waitrose.

But now I know better:

• Not only do I have more money to spend on our food because fresh and organic food is cheaper than processed meals


• But we are also healthier


• Finding new recipes is loads of fun


• And I really enjoy cooking for friends and families on Sundays


• It’s great to have lots of people around our dining room table


• Enjoying good food and wine, with some controversial banter to spice things up

Nowadays I never buy ready-made meals and have reduced my kitchen waste so re-cycling is a lot simpler too Planet Ark

Visit us again soon for more on Real Food and how to make it!

Image source

Keyword=r_f

Ala and prostate cancer

Quick Tip

A recent review article points out that prostate cancer is increasing, and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the Western world. The etiology of prostate cancer remains unclear, course and progression are unpredictable, and definite treatment is not yet established. Lifestyle and diet Prostate Forum Nutrition Guide could contribute to the progression from small, latent, non-metastatic tumors to clinically significant, invasive, metastatic lesions. What Is Metastatic Cancer?

Of six studies done, one showed no correlation. One found a small (not statistically significant) positive correlation. Four studies found a strong positive correlation between ALA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) and prostate cancer. At least two other studies have also shown a correlation of alpha-linolenic acid with increased prostate cancer.According to Prostate Forum, several labs have found that ALA is one of the most powerful growth stimulants for human prostate cancer cells. The Prostate Forum has recommended against the use of flax oil by men with prostate cancer. Since flax oil is the richest readily available food source of ALA, the reasoning goes, this oil should cause the most prostate cancer.

Keyword=h_l

Birth of an Organic Vegetable Garden

A brand new organic vegetable garden was born recently at Squirrel’s Landing. There’ll be frequent postings to keep you up to date on how it progresses, so make sure you visit us again soon. This is how the early preparation went in order to put minerals back in the sand and soil:

Our topsoil was thick with invasive grass roots, making it impossible to dig over, and we had to bring in a Bobcat to chop off the matted and dead topsoil which has been hijacked by invading alien grass for three generations

• Then we cleared out bits of stone and some deep sunken roots which would have sent up more grass shoots within days


• A thin layer of loose soil was exposed, under which hardened clay has made it impossible to fork over. We tried sinking a stake in to hold up a fence but it was useless, the prongs of the fork just bent! This was when we realized just how much work is ahead of us.


• We have to manufacture top soil from scratch in order to make it arable!


• A layer of well rotted manure went down first followed by some dried grass clippings taken from the plot next door where a team of workmen recently spent the morning mowing. It will help make a base for our new topsoil and the remains have been set aside to feed our new compost heap


• After that a layer of good topsoil was salvaged from the boundary which is where a natural stream runs, and the soil looks quite healthy


• Then another spreading of manure and some of the so-called 'compost' from the local nursery came next, and a hefty dose of organic chicken manure in pellet form to add concentrated nitrogen into the mix


• Lots of watering followed, after which there was much digging and forking over and leveling of the whole area


• This new topsoil will lie quietly for two weeks, with a little tilling and lots of watering in between, when we will be ready to set the paths and plant some seeds

We’d love to hear from you so visit us soon for further news of our brand new organic garden, and we’d love to hear from you about your ideas on growing organic vegetables.

Don't forget my Organic gardening DOs & DON'Ts

Keyword=v_g