This year I'm growing herbs indoors again but it just hasn't been enough to satisfy a new need for gardening that I've been experiencing. My Mom is a great gardener and I grew up on wonderful home grown produce that I really took for granted. I was aware of the long hours my Mom put into her garden and loved eating the tomatoes straight off the vine in her big greenhouse but I'd never any interest in the gardening that goes into making all that happen. Over the last few years that has definitely changed, much to my Mom's delight and my surprise.
Blogging about food has naturally made me much more critical about where my food is coming from, sustainability, seasonality and supporting local farmers has started to taken a precedent over price and I'm a fairly budget conscious shopper. It's not necessarily about being organic, it's just an awareness particularly of food miles that has spread through my grocery shopping that I've never had before. That has also piqued my interest in growing my own, I find myself watching YouTube allotment videos with envy and a couple of weeks ago I listened in awe as my Mom toured me around her garden which is already geared up for spring.
I've been so inspired that I've put my name down on the waiting list for an allotment of my own. We live in a small flat in the centre of town so unfortunately don't have a garden of our own that we can plant in. I had heard the waiting list can be two years long so I thought I should get my name down quickly then discovered I'm next on the list! It's a little overwhelming, I don't know where to start with it all. I've been planning which veg we eat the most of and reading a lot of online advice (most of which is conflicting). I think it'll just be a case of trial and error, my only rule so far being that anything I plant must be edible. I'm looking forward to getting started and sharing my foodie gardening adventures with you all.
While I wait for that elusive allotment spot to become free I'll be continuing to create recipes from foraged foods with the Nature's Lunchbox Challenge and enjoying the free bounty from my Mom's lovely garden too.
Blogging about food has naturally made me much more critical about where my food is coming from, sustainability, seasonality and supporting local farmers has started to taken a precedent over price and I'm a fairly budget conscious shopper. It's not necessarily about being organic, it's just an awareness particularly of food miles that has spread through my grocery shopping that I've never had before. That has also piqued my interest in growing my own, I find myself watching YouTube allotment videos with envy and a couple of weeks ago I listened in awe as my Mom toured me around her garden which is already geared up for spring.
A video tour of my Mom's garden
I've been so inspired that I've put my name down on the waiting list for an allotment of my own. We live in a small flat in the centre of town so unfortunately don't have a garden of our own that we can plant in. I had heard the waiting list can be two years long so I thought I should get my name down quickly then discovered I'm next on the list! It's a little overwhelming, I don't know where to start with it all. I've been planning which veg we eat the most of and reading a lot of online advice (most of which is conflicting). I think it'll just be a case of trial and error, my only rule so far being that anything I plant must be edible. I'm looking forward to getting started and sharing my foodie gardening adventures with you all.
While I wait for that elusive allotment spot to become free I'll be continuing to create recipes from foraged foods with the Nature's Lunchbox Challenge and enjoying the free bounty from my Mom's lovely garden too.