School Vegetables

The new school year is about to begin and one of my "projects" this year is actually to start a "vegetable garden club" with some of the children. Why? Well, a few reasons, maybe I could grow my own tasty organic tomatoes. The kitchen at school could actually use the vegetables in some of their cooking. The children can actually take part in seeing something useful actually grow, get some understanding about the process of planting, caring for, harvesting and eating a vegetable.

Oh, and I found out the following about the humble supermarket lettuce leaf...

From the growing stage you get some pesticide, insecticide and herbicide. Then they are picked and put into storage where they reduce the atmospheric O2 to about 3% and increase the CO2. This means it stays looking fresh, and can get to the supermarket up to a month after it's picked still looking "good". They then add chlorine! Why I have no idea! It's just lettuce... or is it.

So we might try to grow some lettuce at school. The kids probably won't like it... not enough chlorine!

Kent, the Garden of England

Went for a walk in Kent. It's Blackberry season. We forgot to take a bag so we had to eat our fill as we walked.
Tips in Blackberry picking:
1. Choose the blackberries that are really easy to pull off the stem, they are ready to eat and REAL tasty.
2. Like anything, if you put the effort in and walk further, you will find untouched berries that no one has been near. You will have the pick of the bunch!
3. Eating too many berries plays SERIOUS HAVOC with your digestive system. You have been warned!

To taste a tomato!

I'm on a bit of a mission. To try to taste a tomato. Sounds strange, but when was the last time you really tasted a tomato? These ideas stemed from a conversation we were having in Turkey, the tomato's there ROCK, juicy and ever so tasty. It seems that the stuff grown in Turkey is all organic (by the way, Turkey is one of only about 7 countries in the world that are self sufficient with their agriculture), whereas the stuff here is modified and pesticided to a shadow of it's former self. So today I went to Sainsburys and bought some organic tomotoes. Not bad at all. They actually taste like... Tomatoes!
Next I'm going to try the local guys tomatoes. He sells them on the side of the road and says they're organic. Unlike Sainsburys however, HE yells out "Five for quid! Juicy, GORGEOUS tomatoes, take em ome today!" in a broad South East London accent. Now you can't beat that!

Turkey, August 2006

We just spent two weeks in Turkey, travelling from Fethiye to Antalya on the South-West coast, then a few days in Istanbul.







We did plenty of activities, such as paragliding, canyoning and sea-kayaking...

... as well as plenty of lazing around, swimming, drinking beer, eating and shopping...

and no - we did not try the below product ;-)

Welcome to our Blogg!

We are Richard & Emily, (aka Laneo & Ricey), we have been living in London for the past 2 and a bit years, below are a few photos from some of our travels and activities in that time...