In praise of 'Wonky Veg'

There has been a bit of a push recently in the UK for supermarkets to sell fruit and vegetables that don't meet the usual 'beauty pageant' criteria normally insisted on by both corporate buyers and shoppers alike. The truth is thousands of tons of perfectly edible foodstuffs are dumped every year because they are deemed 'visually unacceptable.' With so many low income families relying on food banks this wastage isn't just stupid, it's criminal!

I've been growing fruit and vegetables for my own consumption for over forty years and during that time have unearthed potatoes that look like aliens, carrots that look like people, parsnips that have divided, pears that have curled or bent into odd shapes, tomatoes that have odd projections, curly cucumbers, etc. etc. So they look a bit odd, so what? All my misshapen produce has tasted perfectly fine and because I'm not put off by 'natural' looking vegetables I'm more than happy to buy Wonky Veg from Asda, Morrison's or Tesco (other supermarket chains are of course available) and urge others do the same - it makes far more sense than paying double or triple the price for something that looks pretty, but frequently lacks in flavour.

The latest misshapes from the garden come from our courgette plants:

Uppie

Downie

Whether uppies or downies, these rude-looking fellas will taste just fine and be enjoyed to the full. If you haven't done so yet, give some Wonky Veg a go and see what you're missing! 😀