-pops- Posted July 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Speaking of strawberries......How are your strawberries on the other side of the pond? :)Very variable. I get mine from a local grower and even they are variable field to field depending on the variety.Supermarket fruits are grown for their external appearance and size (like tomatoes) with almost zero consideration given to the flavour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have seen on packs of tomatoes in Tesco the size stated. I don't buy those packs, but I seem to remember they were labelled as 52 to 55 MM or similar. LUDICROUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Don't get me started on tasteless tomatoes with their thick skins! My solution is to grow your own, if you have the space. And bananas! where have the good ones gone? They look perfect on the outside but can be black and soft inside. They used to start off perfect and then go all speckled just ready for eating and were delicious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 The ironmongers closed last week which is a real shame. It was a place where you could still buy a pound of nails instead of getting about a dozen of them in those silly vac formed PVC packets (for the same price as a pound of nails).I buy my hardware stuff over the net from ScrewfixGood prices and next day delivery is very reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I buy my hardware stuff over the net from ScrewfixGood prices and next day delivery is very reliable.What a coincidence. I received their leaflet in the post this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Watch you don't get screwed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 You may get a little flavour out of tomatoes if you take them out of the fridge an hour before eating. Strawberries are almost imposable to get that are sweet or any flavour unless you grow your own which is very time consuming these are also better if removed from the fridge to get to room temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 What a coincidence. I received their leaflet in the post this morning.How come you get your mail so early - mine comes at about mid-day if I am lucky and almost never on a Saturday.Ignore andsome's comment - he has obviously had a bad experience - I have used the company for years and they are one of the best and most reliable suppliers on the web. I believe they are owned by B&Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 My husband has used Screwfix for years too - no complaints from him. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadyassa Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 The ironmongers closed last week which is a real shame. It was a place where you could still buy a pound of nails instead of getting about a dozen of them in those silly vac formed PVC packets (for the same price as a pound of nails).I buy my hardware stuff over the net from ScrewfixGood prices and next day delivery is very reliable.I used them a lot when I was in the UK, but it used to be over the phone, you could always get a better price also buy telling them you could buy it for less locally, they would match the price and knock a bit more off ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 8, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 How come you get your mail so early - mine comes at about mid-day if I am lucky and almost never on a Saturday.Mail arrives between 7 and 8 am weekdays and 6 - 7 am Saturdays. Parcels about 10 am. Been like it all the time I've lived here (since 1983) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordythegouge Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I've got Strawberries in the garden............so what do I do if they're not supposed to ripen at home? Do I take them to Tesco's and ask them to oblige me...or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 We bought half a dozen large very firm pears on Tuesday evening at Tesco. Yesterday one of them had a tell tale brown mark on its side. A squeeze revealed that it was brown and mushy, and smelled earthy, in the middle, and had to be ditched. Today every one of the rest had developed brown earthy smelling marks and were still fairly firm (apart from the rotten bits round the marks). It is without doubt a great big con.The only way to preserve them seemed to be to cut out the bad bits, until all the earthyness had disappeaered and then poach them in red wine, brown sugar and cinnamon. Fortunatley a neighbour gave us a large bottle of sloe wine, which was too sharp for drinkng, and we had brown sugar and cinnamon, so I have done the dirty deed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 What a coincidence. I received their leaflet in the post this morning.How come you get your mail so early - mine comes at about mid-day if I am lucky and almost never on a Saturday.Ignore andsome's comment - he has obviously had a bad experience - I have used the company for years and they are one of the best and most reliable suppliers on the web. I believe they are owned by B&Q.I have never heard of the company actually. This was meant as a pun on the word screwfix. :D We bought half a dozen large very firm pears on Tuesday evening at Tesco. Yesterday one of them had a tell tale brown mark on its side. A squeeze revealed that it was brown and mushy, and smelled earthy, in the middle, and had to be ditched. Today every one of the rest had developed brown earthy smelling marks and were still fairly firm (apart from the rotten bits round the marks). It is without doubt a great big con.The only way to preserve them seemed to be to cut out the bad bits, until all the earthyness had disappeaered and then poach them in red wine, brown sugar and cinnamon. Fortunatley a neighbour gave us a large bottle of sloe wine, which was too sharp for drinkng, and we had brown sugar and cinnamon, so I have done the dirty deed.Were the pears European? If so they have been in cold store since last summer. I always stop buying British apples and pears etc round about the end of January, as by then they start to go over the hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadyassa Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 A lot of fruit tends to rot from the inside, it looks great till you take a bite, even some of the fresh Spanish stuff does.They even sell foreign oranges here :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I've got Strawberries in the garden............so what do I do if they're not supposed to ripen at home? Do I take them to Tesco's and ask them to oblige me...or what? Send them to me. :P sloe wine,Mmmm, sloe gin.................Never had sloe wine though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I've got Strawberries in the garden............so what do I do if they're not supposed to ripen at home? Do I take them to Tesco's and ask them to oblige me...or what? Send them to me. :P sloe wine,Mmmm, sloe gin.................Never had sloe wine though.I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter.It depends on added sugar level.You can make wine from a table leg if you put enough sugar in the mix. In fact you can buy table wine at many eating places, and it is all made this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadyassa Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter.It depends on added sugar level.You can make wine from a table leg if you put enough sugar in the mix. In fact you can buy table wine at many eating places, and it is all made this way.We have house wine here, a bit dusty tasting though ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter.It depends on added sugar level.You can make wine from a table leg if you put enough sugar in the mix. In fact you can buy table wine at many eating places, and it is all made this way.Ah, but wood it be pink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordythegouge Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter.It depends on added sugar level.You can make wine from a table leg if you put enough sugar in the mix. In fact you can buy table wine at many eating places, and it is all made this way.Ah, but wood it be pink?Probably not....and it would be real sloe to ferment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 I have made many varieties of wine, but NEVER sloe wine. I would imagine that it would be too bitter.It depends on added sugar level.You can make wine from a table leg if you put enough sugar in the mix. In fact you can buy table wine at many eating places, and it is all made this way.I appreciate what you say, but see little point in making wine from a berry so sour that copious amounts of sugar are needed to make it even slightly palatable.I have made wine from all of the soft fruits, also carrots, parsnips, sugar beet, hawthorn berries, beetroot, and probably a host of others. We started off the local home brew shop in Chasetown, Staffordshire many years ago. 'Er indoors used to run it during the week, and I took over on Saturdays. We also stocked a good range of health foods and vitamin supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Well, right or wrong, we have just eaten half of them, and they were scrummy.I am looking forwards to to tomorrows evening meal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Bought some from Sainsbury's today. Staffordshire grown and of excellent quality and flavour. £1.69 for 500 grammes. We have also grown some ourselves this year, very tasty, but the cropping is very irregular and cannot be relied on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordythegouge Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 Bought some from Sainsbury's today. Staffordshire grown and of excellent quality and flavour. £1.69 for 500 grammes. We have also grown some ourselves this year, very tasty, but the cropping is very irregular and cannot be relied on.You know....we wouldn't be looking for sloes before september earliest up here...I envy you your climate! :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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