to wonder why there are blackberries going bad whilst people complain that they don't have enough money to feed their family healthy food.

[froken]

We went blackberry picking today, I was expecting a couple of manky blackberries to be left because I hear so often in the media and on mumsnet people saying how they struggle to feed their dc healthy food and sometimes people saying they have a hard time finding enough money to feed their dc at all.

There was a huge amount of blackberries, we were a 20 min walk outside a major city so an easily accessible place for 1000s of families.

We picked 9 pounds of blackberries.

Aibu to think that it would be a good idea for those struggling to feed their family a healthy diet (and those struggling to feed their family at all) should be out picking the free fruit that grows all over England's public spaces?

I also posted on the thread about free nursery places for 2 year olds saying I think it is unfair to assume low income families are crap parents who's children would be better off in nursery 15 hours a week so they don't start school having had no one talk to them and lots of people said oh yes but statistically many families claiming benefits are bad parents.

Surely it's more unfair to say we would like to put your child in nursery so they have the chance to spend time with someone who will talk/play with them than me saying there is free food why don't those people struggling to make ends meet take advantage of that?

Yes that's how it s, but pointing it out when someone writes a post about growing herbs on the windowsill is just IMPOTENT.

Treating people with respect and dignity"

Amen to that Beanandgone, would be good to see indeed.

yellow I would be really interested to see that sometime?

(and those struggling to feed their family at all) should be out picking the free fruit that grows all over England's public spaces?

Can i just remind you of the above comment by OP ^^

That's what has got me cross. (as well as the hormones of course)

bean

froken You still don't get why saying things like "but Ido think letting blackberries go mouldy on the bush whilst you rely on other people to provide you with food is stupid." is offensive do you?

OP's last sentence was badly worded.

Rest of the OP was informative and encouraging. Let's not forget it was meant to be positive.

Peaches people on the thread have said time and again that the sentiment of 'picking blackberries is fun, and you get some free fruit out of it too, try it if you can' is great and not one anyone has disagreed with. Comments which have rankled are:

'Ido think letting blackberries go mouldy on the bush whilst you rely on other people to provide you with food is stupid.'

'those struggling to feed their family a healthy diet (and those struggling to feed their family at all) should be out picking the free fruit that grows all over England's public spaces?'

And the complete refusal to comprehend that blackberries will only ever really be a nice little added extra when trying to feed your family a balanced and filling diet on a very limited budget. There was no need to bing 'the poor' into it whatsoever. Especially when those who try to explain how and why it is not a good suggestion for them and people in similar situations are dismissed as trying to find any excuse to prove the OP wrong.

You might want to have a read of the rest of OP's posts then peaches, bit more than one badly phrased sentence. Plenty of comments along the lines of how much fun she had dumpster diving and how people aren't trying hard enough.

Ach fair enough, atrociously worded.

'I was expecting a couple of manky blackberries to be left because I hear so often in the media and on mumsnet people saying how they struggle to feed their dc healthy food'

And this ^^ !!

I can see the contents of the OP's head now...........

Run screen of hungry flat capped unshod peasants scrambling for blackberries...

honestly it actually would be funny if it wasn't so blimming offensive.

Quite bean this thread has me swinging between hysterical laughter and anger. When I first read the OP I was convinced it was a pisstake.

There are also a couple of posts from people who do struggle to feed their children healthy food, saying they do things like this with success.

Barely a ripple.

I have no interest whatsoever in defending the OP but I think it's interesting that this this happens.

I'm still not convinced it's not a pisstake actually, i just thought i'd have a bit of an angry rant....just in case there are some people out there who see the world through monty python sketch tinted glasses.....

peaches There are also posts from people who are in the group the OP is berating for "relying on other people" which are whizzing over the OP's head.

well given you have now said you have no shame in calling a massively diverse group of people, 'the poor', OP perhaps you'd like to define what you mean by this term?

just quickly have to say the comparison of picking blackberries or buying them for £3 a punnet is a farcical one by the way.

people on the breadline are not buying berries - as someone else said they're on the value apples and carrots and frozen peas. so the bag of blackberries is an extra not an 'instead'.

I understand that people often can't do anything about relying on other people to provide food for them. I have been brought up with food and housing provided by the tax payer.

I still think that if there is something small you can do to help yourself then you should do it. If tge blackberries are close by and abundant there is no reason not to. If only to teach your kids that you can provide q very small about of food for yourself.

Its shit growing up and knowing that everything you need comes from some magical place where money is given out. Queuing up separately at lunch to get your free school meal, waiting to buy new shoes because you need to wait for the uniform grant ( I don't imagine they have those anymore!) always having scruffy clothes, not being allowed cheese on food if it already has a protein in.

Picking blackberries was a tiny way that we could do something for ourselves. We didn't have a smart home or posh holidays but we could be fantastic blackberry pickers. It is not a solution to poverty but doing something however tiny to improve your life is in my opinion a very important part of life.

Me and my brother have worked really hard as adults tomake sure we don't have to live like we did as children, we both have a tendency to over work ourselves. I think tge lesson that there is always something however small or however unpleasant that you can do to help yourself has been a really valuable lesson and to me having been in the situation where wehad nothing those small things really ment so much to me.

I would be interested to know if all the posters so outraged by what I have said have first hand experience of having nothing or having all their needs met by the government?

I am sorry if I have offended people, it is really my own feelings of the need to do something, anything to help yourself when in a dire situation that have made me feel so strongly about this.

As an aside I think it is utterly shocking how things are organised in tge UK regarding supporting the most vulnerable members of society. I in no way think that support should be taken away from people, much muchmore support needs to be given especially to families.

"I would be interested to know if all the posters so outraged by what I have said have first hand experience of having nothing or having all their needs met by the government?"

Yep. I've been lucky in avoiding the food bank, but only just. Just a week ago I had no income whatsoever and no way of knowing when I would get money in again. I know the fear of "how the fuck am I going to feed my family?". And that's why your thread hurt so bad, I was looking at increasingly bare cupboards and relying on charity from friends/family, with a local food bank telling me I didn't need to feel bad about accepting their help.

Your last post has eased the anger though, wish that in my case I knew somewhere to pick stuff like blackberries (of course it would help if I could stand the taste of blackberries ). It would definitely feel better to actively get the food myself, rather than needing someone else to pay to feed my family. I've always lived in pretty urban areas, so no idea what is safe to pick and what isn't, and wouldn't have the faintest idea where to look, or know what land I can pick from without it being stealing.

MurderofGoths
I googled "mycity foraging" and - after the hits for courses about foraging, £££ and a luxury grr - I found a couple of sites with maps, directories, forums about where to find wild food throughout the city.

(If you live in my city you are laughing, there's loads and they specifically say where it's legal and ignore where you'd be stealing.)

Oh wow! Never even thought someone would have put together that info! The internet can be a wonderful place can't it? That'll be fun to do when DS (and DC2) are older.

Haha well I don't think I live where you do, got pages of info on pubs, and one page titled "Is Nigel Farage a racist?" - no idea what that has to do with my town or foraging..

People love talking about foraging There is real pride in it. Unless it's puffballs (delicious btw), fabulous mushrooms (too precious) or sloes (people fight over sloes) - in which case they talk about what they have foraged but if you ask where, you will get short shrift.