Had to share this

[WILF 50,315]

I read this just now and thought it was worth sharing, I didn’t write it and it’s a bit long but it made me feel pretty positive so, I hope some of you enjoy.

“Hi folks,

With picking and preserving now going on at a furious pace  I thought I would share a piece I wrote a few years ago for our, now closed, B&B website.     

I wrote it after a guest 'accidentally' wandered into our kitchen garden,...having open two gates marked 'STRICTLY PRIVATE'   He stood with his soft hands in his pockets, watching me pick peas (as I will today) and as if having a conversation with himself already, said out loud "yeah..? but it's a lot of work init?"       

I thought about what he said...and this came out of my head.

Why grow your own food? Just a lifestyle choice? Hard work?...or is there more to it?

I’ve been interested in growing food off and on since I was a boy, and whilst I don’t remember my dad planting the fruit trees at the end of our garden, I do remember being fascinated by the bees pollinating the blossoms in the Spring and then, later in the year, swinging back and forth, often upside down, on the climbing frame waiting for an apple to drop.

That was the unwritten rule you see: “No picking the apples!” my mum would shout..or at least try, bless her little voice..” but you can have some windfalls”.   Remarkably, by some unseen force, a few apples would fall off the trees even when there wasn’t even any wind!

I started growing my own vegetables in a small patch about 4 ft. by 10 ft. behind the garage in the back garden.  “That’ll keep him occupied for a while” my dad said hopefully. Little did he know what would ensue!   I would by a packet of seeds with my pocket money and sow them with military precision. Thinking about it, I still do!

I’d take care of the growing plants and as I had put all the effort in, I was allowed to eat all the produce if I wanted to.

My harvests were small and all too brief, but the memories are vivid and I’ve remembered those wonderful flavours all my life. I also remember the feeling of letting other people have some things to try too. Fresh peas especially spring to mind!

I kept up my pastime and became more and more interested in horticulture but instead of taking my place at an agricultural college to do a degree in commercial horticulture I decided to teach myself what I felt I needed to know. That was a hard one to ‘sell’ to my parents I can tell you!

Although part of life these days, back in the early 80’s organic growing was considered a bit ‘cranky’ and only The Henry Doubleday Research Association, stood for ‘clean’ organically grown food.

I knew even then I wanted to eat ‘natural’ food;but at that time commercial growing was only about huge yields of uniform crops ‘forced’ on by applied chemical fertilizers. Flavour was secondary and any negative impact on the environment was considered ‘tough luck’.

So, whilst working towards getting my own smallholding I learned about organic principles and the benefits to what we now all call ‘bio-diversity’.

Eventually I realised my dream (that’s a whole other story)  and set up my own tiny farm. Our kitchen garden and small fodder fields here produce an array of vegetables that keep us and our livestock well supplied with staples and our favourite things too.

Any seasonal surplus, not used fresh, is either preserved, traded or fed to our livestock.   We almost always have something available to pick fresh from the kitchen garden, as I learned long ago that it’s possible in our climate, to have a green vegetable ready every day of the year. Possible, but not always achievable.

If asked if all the hard work is really worth it. I can’t help but smile and ask “what’s hard about it?” For me, I’m indulging a passion. It’s a pleasure, not work!

For example, in the kitchen garden whilst ‘earthing up’ potatoes in the early morning Spring sunshine, I’ve stood transfixed as the mist rolls up from Ballyduff Glen and surrounds me. Then as the cool cloud moves on, the warm sun breaks through again, and the light is so pure and ‘crisp’ and still.   That’s not work?  That’s spiritual.

For me, it’s not about being ‘close to nature’ it’s about being ‘part of nature’, a real tangible connection to the earth, to the planet, to the universe even. ..and we haven’t even picked anything yet!

The next phase reminds me of school, which personally, I enjoyed. Tending the crops, fighting off pests and balancing the correct amount of sunshine with watering all seems like one big science experiment to me.   Aim, method, result, conclusion, that’s how science is done.

But when you grow your own food the results are always so different, even if you use the same method, year in year out. Every year is different.

It all depends on the ‘right’ temperature or a certain pest or the ‘wrong’ amount of water. To quote Forrest Gump “you never know what you’re gonna get!”.

So, after all that effort, you get to reap the rewards.

This bit reminds me of a birthday.       Shelling delicious fresh peas. oh..sweet delicious peas! Digging up those lovely new potatoes or the taste of raw carrots, crisp and sweet, the list goes on and on! It’s like opening those wonderful presents when you were a kid.

And finally, after all the ‘unwrapping’, all the surprises and all the anticipation when we get to place a meal on the table.

This bit reminds me of childhood Sundays. A time when after a busy week, we all sat down together to share mum’s wonderful home cooked meals.      After 4 'beeps', the man on the radio would say in his posh English voice “This is the ‘world at one’ an hour of news and comment from around the world”.

As I think back now, I remember a real sense of belonging, of family, of being loved.

So....why do we grow our own food?

Sure it’s a lifestyle choice;  we need to act as guardians, not owners, of our precious planet. 

But for me there’s way more to it than that; ...it’s my job, ...my recreation,...my exercise,...my school memories, ..my birthdays, .my Christmas’, ..my ‘church’, .my family, my love.    It’s all those things, ....but it’s certainly not "a lot of work!" ”

[jetro 5,349]

A very nice write up

It seems to be heading back that way again, a lot of people growing small amounts of veg in their back gardens. Which is great to see and do.

Atb j 

[Daniel cain 48,894]

I got bought a book, probably 20 yrs ago when I first got an allotment plot, on self sufficiency... Some brilliant ideas and helpful tips inside it..... I had to give it up due to working away, but would love to get back at it when life slows down abit. 

[shaaark 11,431]

2 hours ago, WILF said:

I read this just now and thought it was worth sharing, I didn’t write it and it’s a bit long but it made me feel pretty positive so, I hope some of you enjoy.

“Hi folks,

With picking and preserving now going on at a furious pace  I thought I would share a piece I wrote a few years ago for our, now closed, B&B website.     

I wrote it after a guest 'accidentally' wandered into our kitchen garden,...having open two gates marked 'STRICTLY PRIVATE'   He stood with his soft hands in his pockets, watching me pick peas (as I will today) and as if having a conversation with himself already, said out loud "yeah..? but it's a lot of work init?"       

I thought about what he said...and this came out of my head.

Why grow your own food? Just a lifestyle choice? Hard work?...or is there more to it?

I’ve been interested in growing food off and on since I was a boy, and whilst I don’t remember my dad planting the fruit trees at the end of our garden, I do remember being fascinated by the bees pollinating the blossoms in the Spring and then, later in the year, swinging back and forth, often upside down, on the climbing frame waiting for an apple to drop.

That was the unwritten rule you see: “No picking the apples!” my mum would shout..or at least try, bless her little voice..” but you can have some windfalls”.   Remarkably, by some unseen force, a few apples would fall off the trees even when there wasn’t even any wind!

I started growing my own vegetables in a small patch about 4 ft. by 10 ft. behind the garage in the back garden.  “That’ll keep him occupied for a while” my dad said hopefully. Little did he know what would ensue!   I would by a packet of seeds with my pocket money and sow them with military precision. Thinking about it, I still do!

I’d take care of the growing plants and as I had put all the effort in, I was allowed to eat all the produce if I wanted to.

My harvests were small and all too brief, but the memories are vivid and I’ve remembered those wonderful flavours all my life. I also remember the feeling of letting other people have some things to try too. Fresh peas especially spring to mind!

I kept up my pastime and became more and more interested in horticulture but instead of taking my place at an agricultural college to do a degree in commercial horticulture I decided to teach myself what I felt I needed to know. That was a hard one to ‘sell’ to my parents I can tell you!

Although part of life these days, back in the early 80’s organic growing was considered a bit ‘cranky’ and only The Henry Doubleday Research Association, stood for ‘clean’ organically grown food.

I knew even then I wanted to eat ‘natural’ food;but at that time commercial growing was only about huge yields of uniform crops ‘forced’ on by applied chemical fertilizers. Flavour was secondary and any negative impact on the environment was considered ‘tough luck’.

So, whilst working towards getting my own smallholding I learned about organic principles and the benefits to what we now all call ‘bio-diversity’.

Eventually I realised my dream (that’s a whole other story)  and set up my own tiny farm. Our kitchen garden and small fodder fields here produce an array of vegetables that keep us and our livestock well supplied with staples and our favourite things too.

Any seasonal surplus, not used fresh, is either preserved, traded or fed to our livestock.   We almost always have something available to pick fresh from the kitchen garden, as I learned long ago that it’s possible in our climate, to have a green vegetable ready every day of the year. Possible, but not always achievable.

If asked if all the hard work is really worth it. I can’t help but smile and ask “what’s hard about it?” For me, I’m indulging a passion. It’s a pleasure, not work!

For example, in the kitchen garden whilst ‘earthing up’ potatoes in the early morning Spring sunshine, I’ve stood transfixed as the mist rolls up from Ballyduff Glen and surrounds me. Then as the cool cloud moves on, the warm sun breaks through again, and the light is so pure and ‘crisp’ and still.   That’s not work?  That’s spiritual.

For me, it’s not about being ‘close to nature’ it’s about being ‘part of nature’, a real tangible connection to the earth, to the planet, to the universe even. ..and we haven’t even picked anything yet!

The next phase reminds me of school, which personally, I enjoyed. Tending the crops, fighting off pests and balancing the correct amount of sunshine with watering all seems like one big science experiment to me.   Aim, method, result, conclusion, that’s how science is done.

But when you grow your own food the results are always so different, even if you use the same method, year in year out. Every year is different.

It all depends on the ‘right’ temperature or a certain pest or the ‘wrong’ amount of water. To quote Forrest Gump “you never know what you’re gonna get!”.

So, after all that effort, you get to reap the rewards.

This bit reminds me of a birthday.       Shelling delicious fresh peas. oh..sweet delicious peas! Digging up those lovely new potatoes or the taste of raw carrots, crisp and sweet, the list goes on and on! It’s like opening those wonderful presents when you were a kid.

And finally, after all the ‘unwrapping’, all the surprises and all the anticipation when we get to place a meal on the table.

This bit reminds me of childhood Sundays. A time when after a busy week, we all sat down together to share mum’s wonderful home cooked meals.      After 4 'beeps', the man on the radio would say in his posh English voice “This is the ‘world at one’ an hour of news and comment from around the world”.

As I think back now, I remember a real sense of belonging, of family, of being loved.

So....why do we grow our own food?

Sure it’s a lifestyle choice;  we need to act as guardians, not owners, of our precious planet. 

But for me there’s way more to it than that; ...it’s my job, ...my recreation,...my exercise,...my school memories, ..my birthdays, .my Christmas’, ..my ‘church’, .my family, my love.    It’s all those things, ....but it’s certainly not "a lot of work!" ”

Can definitely relate to that

[Arry 24,899]

3 hours ago, WILF said:

I read this just now and thought it was worth sharing, I didn’t write it and it’s a bit long but it made me feel pretty positive so, I hope some of you enjoy.

 

Great piece that Wilf, thanks for sharing. Takes you back that. It was not the one o'clock news I remember but think it was Billy Cotton on the radio while we ate Sunday dinner.

Does any body remember if it was Billy Cotton?

Cheer Arry

[WILF 50,315]

2 minutes ago, Arry said:

Great piece that Wilf, thanks for sharing. Takes you back that. It was not the one o'clock news I remember but think it was Billy Cotton on the radio while we ate Sunday dinner.

Does any body remember if it was Billy Cotton?

Cheer Arry

My memory is of the world service on a little small holding we had in Kent.

No telly ! 
Blimey, we sound like a right bunch of dusty old fuckers ! Lol 

[Dougieboy 250]

Growing food should be mandatory in all schools. Sadly a lot of kids In the city couldn’t tell you where a sweet corn comes from, other than KFC 

[ollieollie 766]

Same reason I grow my own weed

[shaaark 11,431]

44 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

As sad an as soppy as it sounds, I reckon when I eventually gee the dogs am hunting up, I’ll more than likely end up with a veg patch an a camera to pass me time grew stuff on an off all me life from a child but the older I get the more I enjoy it

Don't sound sad or soppy in the slightest. I'm getting just as much, if not maybe a bit more, enjoyment watching allsorts of wildlife now, WITHOUT trudging for f****n miles in wind, rain, mud, getting scratched to f**k , whipped across the fizzog by an unseen branch, cut by barbed wire, and all the other 'joys' that go with purposely trying to catch stuff! Lol. 

My days, and mostly nights, of doing that are in the past. Don't think I went out once last season, and only a handful of times the season before that with my eldest son

[lurcherman 887 13,435]

To long ! 

[Ken's Deputy 4,462]

3 hours ago, Arry said:

 I remember but think it was Billy Cotton on the radio while we ate Sunday dinner.

Does any body remember if it was Billy Cotton?

 Somebody stole his girl.

[kinkell 787]

What I'm watching tonight braw

[stumfelter 3,034]

I'd imagine that's the sort of tripe that one hit wonder Gerry Rafferty would come out with if they interviewed him....

[dytkos 17,945]

9 hours ago, Arry said:

Great piece that Wilf, thanks for sharing. Takes you back that. It was not the one o'clock news I remember but think it was Billy Cotton on the radio while we ate Sunday dinner.

Does any body remember if it was Billy Cotton?

Cheer Arry

Think he used to present the Black and White Minstrels as well

Cheers, D.

[fireman 11,395]

What a bunch of fcuking hippies....

.