As a result, I have decided to act with my credit card in my own small way. The cost of organic food has come down so I now do nearly all my food shopping in a local organic supermarket and buy mainly local, seasonal fruit and veg. Most of the best nutrients are to be found in the skin of fruit and veg, it's a shame that with non-organic produce you have to peel it because that is where the concentration of pesticides and other toxic chemicals is highest.
You can no longer rely on some labels such as country of origin. I saw that a Chinese company bought a Provençal tomato factory that made tomato purée. The tomatoes are grown in China where there are few regulations (and we all know how reliable the Chinese are when it comes to food safety), transformed by a factory nearby, then shipped to France where the purée is conditioned in pots. It's labelled Produce of France but is about as French as Peking duck.
For meat, I've decided we should eat less but better quality. No more supermarket meat from animals kept in horrific conditions god knows where, and slaughtered god knows how. I go to the village butcher who can tell me where and how the animals were reared, and that they were slaughtered humanely. When we don't eat meat, I try and create vegetarian meals that appeal to my carnivorous sons. They moan about the lack of meat, but eat up anyway because they are actually pretty tasty!
I'm fed up with industrialists taking the piss, endangering our health and the environment for profit and power. Fuck 'em.
Bleach is an environmental and health bugger. I didn't use much before, but I've now stopped buying it totally because there really is no need. We don't need to live in a sterilised home and become prey to the slightest bug. Even my stained white sink can be whitened with lemon juice.
The other day my stock of Carrouf eco dishwasher tabs had run out. Should I buy more or make my own? I decided to test out a recipe I found here on the internet to make either a powder or tablets. I got a large preserving jar and poured in the washing soda, citric acid, baking soda, and sea salt. Muggins here used 'dirty' salt which, I realised once it was too late, has a high humidity content.
The ingredients reacted to the water and bubbled up. It was terribly impressive, a bit like a white lava flow as it poured out over the top of the jar. I had to keep prodding it back to stop it taking over the sink. Eventually it calmed down and I was able to shovel it into ice cube trays, leave it to dry and then shake them out and store in a jar.
They work really well. Used with white vinegar as a rinsing agent, they are just as effective as anything else, and do not harm the water system.
When my current eco house cleaner runs out I'll make my own (p.21), and washing up liquid too.
Not only is less money going to the Big Guys, but DIY products costs much less to make than buying the commercial stuff. Less for them, more for me = win-win!
