In recent weeks/months I have noticed that the quality of my skin has not been what it could be. In fact it has been dreadful! Not only have I been plagued with more spots than I've had in years, I seem to be developing dry, hard patches on my feet which is a first. This combined with flaky cuticles and hang nails I decided has to be due to a noticeable lack of vitamin B as a result of fewer fruit and vegetables.
The problem is that while many consider buying organic as an unnecessary expense, Tesco's and their like have set out to prove this. Having conducted various price comparisons over the past couple of years the cost of my €25 organic fruit and vegetable basket proved to be negligable by comparison! Not only this, but the incidence of bruised or slightly past their sell by date appears to be greater when purchasing store bought organics.
All in all, if you get them early and unadulterated organic fruit & veg does taste better and is undoubtedly better for you than their mainstream counterparts which are bland and often bereft of much in the way of nutritional benefits. So where do we go from here?
How about the likes of Aldi or Lidl? Admittedly both of these stores are competitive in their organic pricing, however their choices are somewhat limited. However, in light of recent developments it appears that it is back to the good stuff, albeit well chosen from my local supermarket shelves. It certainly tastes better than the enormous multivitamin tablets which are the alternative!
Recently, while on holiday in Co Donegal, on the north west coast of Ireland we were treated to garden fresh vegetables and local meats from the butcher's shop in Carrigart. The potatoes in particular were so fresh that you could taste the earth - yes, they were washed before use! This year we only tried George's recipe for Papas Arrugardas (Canarian potatoes) once this year.
Our eldest boy BB is too old for such delights as washing the spuds in the sea and carrying them back in a pot full of the Atlantic Ocean now, so the task was asigned to LB who did a fine job and really enjoyed the fruits of his labour. For some reason this years variety tasted even better than they did before, the reason remains a myster though!
The butcher in Carrigart is bilingual. This is not so much of a feat when you consider that the area we were camping in is considered to be a Gaelteacht area, aka the home of the Irish language. Thankfully though most people are more than happy to converse in English, which is just as well considering that BB, the awkward teenager lacks confidence when it comes to anything but his own native tongue.
The fact that he's been studying Irish or Gaeilge for the past ten years appears to escaped his notice! Irish is still a compulsory subject on our curriculum and BB's first teacher used to use it when correcting their homework and for simple things like please, thank you, etc. Still, the Connemara Gaelteacht will more than make up for his lack of prowess in Donegal.
In the hopes of improving his chances next year when he sits his Junior Certificate he's been shipped off on the holiday of a life time. Surrounded by pretty girls and mates of his own age he's having a ball. The fact that he can be sent home for uttering one complete sentance of English appears to be irrelevent, he's having too much fun being grown up for a change! Let's hope that it continues when he gets home...
Anyway, it's time for bed in my quiet house so I'm going to bid you goodnight and sweet dreams in the hope that the glass of Darien Rosé Rioja from The Wine Buff will work its way into my subconscious being and whisk me away to never never land in a flash.
The butcher in Carrigart is bilingual. This is not so much of a feat when you consider that the area we were camping in is considered to be a Gaelteacht area, aka the home of the Irish language. Thankfully though most people are more than happy to converse in English, which is just as well considering that BB, the awkward teenager lacks confidence when it comes to anything but his own native tongue.
The fact that he's been studying Irish or Gaeilge for the past ten years appears to escaped his notice! Irish is still a compulsory subject on our curriculum and BB's first teacher used to use it when correcting their homework and for simple things like please, thank you, etc. Still, the Connemara Gaelteacht will more than make up for his lack of prowess in Donegal.
In the hopes of improving his chances next year when he sits his Junior Certificate he's been shipped off on the holiday of a life time. Surrounded by pretty girls and mates of his own age he's having a ball. The fact that he can be sent home for uttering one complete sentance of English appears to be irrelevent, he's having too much fun being grown up for a change! Let's hope that it continues when he gets home...
Anyway, it's time for bed in my quiet house so I'm going to bid you goodnight and sweet dreams in the hope that the glass of Darien Rosé Rioja from The Wine Buff will work its way into my subconscious being and whisk me away to never never land in a flash.
No comments:
Post a Comment