Local people not apparently involved in large scale farming
like to make a bit of extra cash by selling small amounts of produce on the
side of the road where they live, in an honesty-pot type of fashion where the
customer is trusted to leave the price stated on the stall.
My journey to work takes me past several homes from which
food is sold to passers-by for a fair price. One of these points on the route
is less than 30 seconds from my front door and is owned by an old man who makes
a few jams and preserves from things that he grows (I know because I asked), as
well as bundles of rhubarb. I’ve bought four different jars so far, all open
and stored in the smallest fridge on the island. It’s possible that I won’t
even finish them all by the time I leave but I couldn’t simply walk past on my
second visit and not try a jar of pear confit or quince jelly; which is sweet,
syrupy and perfect on a Ryvita cracker.
The other houses/hedge-veg stalls that I pass sell a variety
of other foods including Jersey Royals, eggs, peas, cucumbers and courgettes.
I am a huge fan of local produce, sustainability and
minimising food miles wherever possible, therefore, the array of produce on
offer as I go about my daily routine is very pleasing to see. No, the jam jars
may not be sterilised properly; yes, the courgettes may be a bit bendy; and no, a box left outside in 31°C heat may not be the best way to store
eggs, but I’d sooner eat all of the above rather than the supermarket
equivalent. Why buy a giant Spanish courgette from Waitrose when an
honest guy down the road is selling five small ones from his home for 60p?
Durrell too are in on the act of local trade and
sustainability; second hand books are for sale which have been donated to the
trust. An asking price of between 50p and £2 for books seems reasonable to me, which is why I have bought two already.
Also, on the recycling front,
“Cans for Corridors” is a project that Durrell set up with the aim of providing
trees to areas South America to connect isolated forests, that have been created
by deforestation. In this initiative, the recycling company which collects
aluminium cans from Durrell, has agreed to provide the cash for tree saplings (at
a rate of around 1 sapling per 50 cans) to the Brazilian rainforest, in which
the black lion tamarin is endemic and, sadly, endangered. Although this isn’t
strictly local to one area, it is definitely worth a mention on here as
recycling is such a big part of sustainability.
The reason why supporting for locally grown, small-scale
produce is so important, is that it is sustainable, which is more than can be
said for food that is flown around the world using fuel derived from oil. Food
is grown using home-made compost and seeds from the previous harvest, eggs are
laid by hens that are fed kitchen scraps and home-made jams and preserves are
made in a simple way, usually using just fruit, water and sugar – which is
widely grown in Britain.
Every penny spent in supporting the small-time suppliers of
food is a penny well spent. Doing this connects people, builds relationships
and creates trust within a community and I think this should be encouraged
wherever possible.
I realise this post is distinctly lacking in the area of cute animal media compared to the previous three, so here are some uncategorised bits and bobs which hopefully appeal to others as much as they do to me.
Below, Asian short-clawed otters are enjoying their eagerly awaited breakfast
Below, a miniscule common toad found during one of many gardening tasks
Below, one of the pied tamarins of the free-ranging 'Tamarin Wood' making a swift exit after taking advantage of the hand rail
Below, a red squirrel - common on Jersey probably due to their American relatives never making the trip over
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