I think many thinks have come full circle. (Before Isolation that is!) My great-uncle grew vegetables on his freeholding and delivered these from house to house in a small van, does this sound familiar? Many of the top and emerging chefs talk about eating in season and quite a few have started growing their own vegetables and herbs, some even have farms. Not many of us are fortunate enough to have a Kitchen Garden (a separate area for growing plants) unless you have a huge garden, but allotments have become hugely popular and small portable greenhouses are readily available and affordable and fit in small gardens.
On my travels in Spain, I looked after a couple of Kitchen Gardens and it was very rewarding, we grew: tomatoes, peppers, leeks, onions, melons and strawberries and had Mint and Lemon Verbena planted in the garden and then added Basil, Chives and Thyme in large pots on the patio. These can be grown on a window sill if you have enough light coming in. The feeling of picking vegetables then cooking and serving them is very special, the freshness and flavour far better than anything in a supermarket.
Gardening is seen as a great way to relieve stress and also get some exercise, but I also think its more than that, we have lost touch with so many things in the modern world, where our food comes from, what is seasonal. (polytunnels have a lot to answer for) There is something very grounding, no punt intended, about digging into soil and starting to understand and appreciate the miracle that is nature.
I don’t know if you follow astrology but some of the qualities of earth signs are; Nurturing, seeking to draw things together in order to bring harmony and stability, well-balanced, planning for the future. Its almost a description of a gardener planting food that will feed people for years to come.
I don’t currently have an area to garden at home, but hope in the future I do, so for now I will have to just keep watching Gardens World and keep dreaming!
Created Curated by Sara Brown 