How can I cut supermarkets out of my life all together?

[Enid]

I HATE going to the supermarket. I really resent the way that everything is flown in from miles and miles away, that everything is packaged in mainly useless packaging and the veg looks and tastes old.

I would love to stop going all together - or at least go at the most once a month. Where else can I go for my food and household stuff? Any tips?

Enid - having chickens is a fantastic idea and I hope you go through with it. If we had more space I would keep two goats and chickens - all planned out and organised until the house sale fell through and ended up in a small plot, boo hoo. Oh well. Another consideratin for anyone out there keen to get fresh veggies and unable to buy easily/locally is to grow yer own! Obvious I know but it is fairly cheap to do, not that much hard work and great for children. It needn?t even take up much space - two hanging baskets full of cherry toms, a strawberry planter, couple of rows of spuds, mixed curly lettuces amongst your flowers look good, taste good and save cash. Grow carrots in and around other flowers - the tops look pretty and tast great. A simple tub with a few bamboo canes tied at the top can support french beans or peas. I could go on and on but it is great. You don?t need a big garden to grow your own - a window box for herbs...oh, i am off again, will stop now.

Enid - i am very envious, that is one man I would lurve to meet and invite over for dinner - principles after my own heart.

We've (well dp actually, I just sit and read a magazine and watch him) started growing things and currently have carrots, spring onions, brocolli, beans and rocket in our garden. I know it's off topic but any idea how to get rid of slugs and snails without using poison that kills birds? They've eaten a whole row of beans and are starting on our brocolli now, which is very annoying. We've tried beer, didn't work.
Oooh Enid, lucky you - I bought HFW's River Cottage cookbook for dp for Christmas, have you got it? Lots of ideas for living off the land etc although we've only tried (unsuccessfully) getting razor clams from the beach so far. He tells you how to starve snails so they can be eaten (so maybe that's the solution to our pest problem?!) and which mushrooms to look for. I'd certainly go for chickens if we weren't renting, let us know how it goes. I do always think HFW's life at River Cottage looks lovely but yep, it would be lovely if you had a nanny and a smallholding wouldn't it? Aahh, The Good Life hey?

I think the slug granules by Growing Success are animal friendly. I get them because I can't bear the thought of hurting hedgehogs in particular.

Yes, ust found a bottle - it says it's for "people who care about pets, birds, hegehogs and wildlife". It doesn't specifically say it doesn't harm those but I think that's what it means! I'ts suitable for use round both edible and inedible plants.

A non poison method is to put coarse gravel round your plants which (apparently) they don't like the feel of. Eggshells I think are meant to work too.

I don't think you can just turn up and shop at costco, I think you have to be a member or recommended or something..does anyone know about this please ?

thanks soupdragon.

had a lot at the costco website...costco

Slightly peeved by Costco - I can understand the discount to trade - but unfair, for example, that my boss would qualify as a highly paid partner in a law firm, but his secretary doesn't!

On the slug front, the only thing Ive found works is to go out at dusk every evening for a few weeks, pick them off the plants/beds (I have to use tweezers for this-cant actually touch them!) and drop them in a jug full of hot coffee then flush down toilet. DD loves to help-she holds the torch. We have a nice little song that we sing as we work "what do we hate...slugs what do we do....kill them". Beware though, whilst we were gardening today she said "mummy- I told them at nursery about me holding the torch and you picking up the slugs with those long metal things and dropping them in that coffee stuff- they said that was a very strange thing to do"
Also another vote for veg gardening, I started about 3 yrs ago with raised beds- make life so easier, and now we are self sufficient in veg from nowish till oct, plus loads of pumpkins/squashes etc for harvest festival! I get a real kick from growing stuff from seed, garden organically and dd will help for hours, she has her own little bed and is growing peas, sweetcorn and a pumpkin. Now If I could only get the kids to eat a vegetable.....

Miggy at your dd repeating the slug killing song at nursery!

Answer to Snickers from an ancient message on 28MAY05 shown here ...
win the lottery, and then get every meal prepared and delivered to your door by www.leapingsalmon.com

They have gone out of business, but there's a great alternative I use called Dining-Made-Easy. You can find them on www.dining-made-easy.co.uk.