Oh yes, we have no tomatoes !

Time of year

At least six different varieties of tomatoes in local farm shop, plenty in large Sainsbury’s and Sainsbury’s Local.

Don’t they say it’s better (more nutrients?) to eat seasonal produce?

Sarah75

Don’t they say it’s better (more nutrients?) to eat seasonal produce?

Yes.

The problem is now that we expect to eat salad all the year round; lettuce at Christmas? It was unheard of when we were young.

GD brought tomatoes over to tea, plenty at Farmer's Market. I haven't had any problems buying veg. She also brought beautiful curry leaves and lemon grass, she knows both are hard to find sometimes.

When I went shopping to Sainsbury last week there was no semi skimmed milk at all. Nothing but empty shelves . I had to have skimmed instead (and didn’t like it.)

No shortage in our local market. I bought 2 types of tomatoes, cucumber, a lettuce, courgettes, shallots, bell peppers and aubergines yesterday. The aubergines were small.
I prefer to buy there and not a supermarket.

When we were in New Zealand in Dec/Jan there was a huge shortage of eggs. Sometimes you could a few, other times the shelves were completely bare. It certainly wasn’t Brexit there. Shortages happen, we’re not going to starve.

get a few….

no tomatoes in sainsburys yesterday and today.

I popped into Lidl last night - quite late on in the evening and have never seen the store so empty. Fresh produce was extremely limited but not unexpected due to the time - but also many other products including eggs.
They must have been awaiting a delivery. But that said, I quite relish a challenge when something isn't available -we have had some lovely green salads (with rocket, and various lettuces) when tomatoes and peppers have been out of stock - it doesn't hurt to be pushed out of our comfort zone every now and again. Conversely in times of plenty of tomatoes and onions we have had just that as a side salad.

After going to my two regular supermarkets and not finding tomatoes,...popped into M&S and they had plenty....I read that growers here in the UK cant afford to heat their greenhouses re the cost of energy.

Try to buy foods locally sourced, so that’s tomatoes out, Do also keep to seasonal and change eating habits but with the seasons. Of course there’s a lot of foods that I buy either dried or bottled, can’t do without my tea either.

Tomatoes aren't in season.

The other day I was astonished to find no carrots in my usual Asda - at least no whole ones, only sliced, which I didn’t want.
I’ve never known them to be out of (to me) such a basic that’s not even imported.

maddyone

When we were in New Zealand in Dec/Jan there was a huge shortage of eggs. Sometimes you could a few, other times the shelves were completely bare. It certainly wasn’t Brexit there. Shortages happen, we’re not going to starve.

Yes, that was due to a large epidemic of bird flu in many parts of the world.

But again, when there are real shortages around the world, this makes it much worse for Brexit UK. Low currency, lots of red tape, transport issues, Channel crossing- and basically producing countries prioritising their own (as the EU will do, quite naturally, and that is not 'punishing' UK, just plain simple.
You look after your own first.

When I went to Asda a few days ago semi-skimmed milk and tomatoes were in very short supply.

I do think that going back to eating things in season would be better for us and the planet. The enormous amount of heat/energy it must take to produce tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers at this time of year must be bad for the climate, and no matter whether you buy them from a supermarket or a local farmers' market, they are still either imported or produced in artificial conditions.

Agree totally choughdancer. Hard for the UK anyhow, due to shortage of agricultural labour and cost of importing fertiliser, etc.

Pleun van Malkenhorst, Rainbow UK Trading & Growing:
"Labor and energy, the biggest challenges for British greenhouse horticulture":

The high gas prices are hugely impacting British growers, too, he admits. "I'm afraid it will soon be the end of the road for British growers who are still fully dependent on gas boilers. We're also dealing with sharply rising gas prices. The only difference with the Netherlands is that the UK uses enormous amounts of electricity. Electricity prices usually aren't linked to gas prices here.

www.hortidaily.com/article/9462585/labor-and-energy-the-biggest-challenges-for-british-greenhouse-horticulture/

We’re eating root vegetables and brassicas, mostly from the farm shop, any tomatoes are in tins.

Plenty of Spanish tomatoes in my Asda the other day. I don’t usually buy them out of U.K. season but Gdcs were staying and they’ll eat any amount of cherry tomatoes, so…

As well as shortages around the world caused by bird flu, high energy prices etc no one will bite the real bullet and that is that there are too many people in the world. Until birth rates around the world are reduced, food shortages will become more and more common.

The only difference with the Netherlands is that the UK uses enormous amounts of electricity. Electricity prices usually aren't linked to gas prices here. When I used to live in the Netherlands and shopped at local markets, they were practically giving salad veg away, it was so cheap and tomatoes were never sold in weights less than a kilo. We were told that their growers got huge government subsidies towards energy.

There is a field near me which is full of rotting cauliflowers