Sunday 7 August 2022

Homegrown Food ... and Giving Food Away

 


We dug up our homegrown potatoes last week, well I say 'dug up' but what I really mean is tipped them from the Aldi bags for life that they were growing in.  I emptied the bags out straight into the new raised planter that you can see at the back of the photo, and it made it really easy to rummage around and find all the potatoes.

It was quite a good little haul really.

Splitting them into half for each of us meant this is what we got.  

Was it worth growing them?

Yes, is the resounding answer.  They didn't take much watering with all the rain we've had recently, they were tucked away out of sight of either of our houses just in front of the shed and most importantly of all ...  they taste delicious.

So much so that I am just about to put in some more potatoes that should be ready in time for Christmas.  This time I have got some posh new potato buckets to grow them in courtesy of a special offer from the gardening magazine that I posted about HERE.

I've been missing from my blog for a couple of days as I have been busy Olio-ing.

Sharing things that I no longer want with people who do want them or who can make use of them in any way that they choose.  I started with a bag of food that I just knew I would never get around to eating, and then because you can also give away non-food items I carried on by giving away all the things that I have been sorting out from my kitchen cupboards.

 I even had a good sort through of my stationery stash and gave lots of notebooks, pens and pencils to a young single Mum with two boys that needed some for now to keep them occupied during the school holidays and some more for going back to school with.

I still have other things listed and it's a good feeling to know that items I no longer need are going to a really good home.  And of course it immediately gives me more space in my small home instead of having items that I've recently sorted out just sitting around.

Have you ever used Olio?


Sue xx



17 comments:

  1. Yum - home grown always tastes best! Thanks for the tip about Olio - I'm off to have a look now.

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    1. They really do don't they, I have enough left for maybe two meals :-)

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  2. I have never heard of Olio, what an amazing thing, we do give to our local food bank and community chest who take practically anything from furniture to white goods, clothing and more and sell at a very small cost. When we had to give up our caravan we had most of its contents to donate as it was another home ( which I never got to use :( ) ,we were able to give a lot to a chap who moved into my son's assisted living complex who had absolutely nothing , he was driving a few years ago, felt a bit odd so pulled over and woke up 6 months later in hospital, each day is groundhog day as his memory is shot, his family can't deal with him so he is all alone, so sad, so we do feel so lucky to have been in a position to help ( he doesn't know that we gave him the items and neither does anybody else except the manager ,it would make me feel awkward ). When you donate as a personal thing rather than a business, how do you do it? Home grown tiddies are so yum. I could eat them like sweeties.

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    1. It's good to know that things you know longer have a use for are really helpful and useful to someone else isn't it.

      I signed up for Olio back when I lived in the flat and gave away lots of things, it's just like using Facebook Marketplace except no money changes hands. You can give things away or request things that you need. It's main aim is to save things from landfill, whether they be food or non-food items and to try and help people out that are local to you.

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  3. I’d never heard of Olio so will have a look. We just usually give things away on our local FB page when we can. I’m still sorting out stuff- anaged to give a friend two pairs of unworn shoes last week. Catriona

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    1. It works in the same way as the free part of Facebook Marketplace or local groups. It's good to share things around instead of throwing them away isn't it.

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  4. Home grown anything is sooo much better. I have never heard of Olio, but it sounds like a wonderful way to pass some goodness on to others.

    God bless.

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    1. It is a really good thing, and helps all the people who, for whatever reason, can't get help from Foodbanks etc.

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  5. Home grown potatoes can't be beaten for taste. We are planning to grow some more in a tub for Christmas, just deciding on the variety. Can you recommend a good one by any chance, Sue? We normally just grow earlies so don't know which to choose.
    I have heard of Olio but never used it. It sounds amazing.

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    1. I've never managed to grow potatoes that are ready for Christmas time before, but the three varieties that came in the Winter pack I ordered were Pentland Javelin, Maris Peer and Charlotte. So I'm hoping that they will do well.

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    2. Thanks for the info, Sue, we'll see which one of those we can get 👍

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  6. Olio sounds like a great idea. I don't use a mobile phone so anything we don't need either goes to the charity shop or I leave it outside the gate with a note saying "Free to a good home".
    I love home grown spuds - our bags are ready to harvest, I'm looking forward to making some potato salad ! xxx

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    1. A 'free to a good home' sign outside is a great idea, but just recently we have had so much rain I would have been in and out like a yoyo bringing things back in!

      Ooh homemade potato salad sounds like a really good idea, I might just have to make some with a few of my potatoes.

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  7. I've heard of Olio but never used it - must investigate, thanks.
    The spuds look fantastic. xx

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    1. Well worth investigating, and it's working really well for me at the moment.

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  8. Never heard of Olio - thanks for the tip - we didn't grow any potatoes this year and I did miss that very special flavour
    Alison in Wales x

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  9. We gave a nearby "weggeefkastje" ("give away cupboard") where you can leave stuff for others to take. There is a fridge too, where you can leave surplus food. It works very well . Regards from Rotterdam!

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