Earthed and the popularity of Allotments

A few months ago I discovered the charity earthed and their wonderful education platform that offers a wide variety of nature based courses at beginner and advanced skill levels. Their focus is on supporting individuals who want to make changes in their own communities with topics such as activism, traditional knowledge and food sovereignty. I'm currently learning about No Dig Growing and looking at how I can implement those principles into vegetable growing.

A few of my friends have signed up for allotments to increase the variety of vegetables they grow and to boost their self sufficiency. About 15 years ago I briefly took on a local allotment, giving it up after a couple of months due to time commitments. The history of allotments in the UK goes back to Anglo Saxon times with spaces available for people to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Modern allotments continue to be measured with the Anglo Saxon rod system of ten rods which is roughly equal to 250 square meters.

Todays allotments stem from the 1845 General Enclosure Act and later the Small Holdings and Allotments Act of 1907/08, which gave councils the responsibility of providing allotments on demand to residents of the parish. During the First and Second World Wars people were encouraged to grow their own food with popular slogans such as Dig for Victory. This campaign to reduce food shortages produced 1.3 million tonnes of food from 1.5 million allotments during the Second World War.

The popularity of allotments has had a resurgence since the 1990's, with a focus not only on self sufficiency, but also growing food that is healthy and considers the environment. It also has the added bonus of being good for our mental health and wellbeing. The downside of this popularity is the lengthy waiting lists in some areas for allotments. 

The artist, historian and activist JC Niala has been researching and campaigning for more allotments in partnership with Greenpeace over the last few years. She discovered there were nearly 175,000 people across Britain on waiting list for allotments and set about informing communities of their rights to request land under the Allotments Act. You can find out more at The Truth About Britain's Allotment Waiting List.

If this has prompted you to think about an allotment take a look at RHS Guide to getting started and reach out to your council to join the waiting list.

Pumpkin Patches and Halloween

I've been delighted to receive a number of invitations to food and farming events over the last few weeks and as I've travelled around I've been struck by the amount of stalls selling pumpkins or pumpkin patches along the way. October, for me, would not be complete without a visit to the pumpkin patch at my local farm. We arrive early, grab a wheelbarrow, head to the quieter part of the patch and start selecting. We look for a couple of large pumpkins suitable for carving and a selection of smaller varieties to build a display outside our front door.

Pumpkin patches only began to appear in the UK in the 1990's but the UK is now the largest grower of pumpkins in Europe and they can offer useful farm diversification. Farmers Weekly reported that for many farms growing pumpkins has given them significant extra income and flexibility as farmers can opt to sell direct to customers or to a wholesaler as best suits their individual farm situation. The Economic Times reported that some farmers are earning as much as £30,000 per acre by embracing this seasonal holiday of Halloween.

As a child, we used turnips or swedes to carve out Jack O Lanterns, as pumpkins weren't popular then, a tradition with English and Irish origins dating back to the 1700s. Carrying or displaying the carved vegetables was thought to keep spirits away on Halloween.

Will you be carving pumpkins this Halloween?

Walled Gardens, Eden Project Communities and Social and Therapeutic Horticulture

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful walled garden, orchard and meadow complete with bees, a pop up shop and professional kitchen. This peaceful 10 acres was part of what was a monastery and gardens dating back to 1133. Considering that the origins of Green Care came from medieval monastic communities it seems very fitting that this should now house an amazing Social and Therapeutic Horticulture charity that supports over 50 clients per week.

Social and Therapeutic Horticulture is part of the wider Green Care approach that focuses on using gardening to benefit individuals with health and wellbeing goals. Therapeutic and gardening techniques support physical and mental health, offer time in nature, a sense of community and a learning experience. The clients I met were skilful gardeners and generous with their knowledge of the local flora and fauna as we talked.

Standing within the walls of the orchard I was reminded of a walled garden that we used to visit when we lived in Scotland. The gardens offered plenty of space and fresh air but also shelter from the worst of the elements. It was a great place for the children to play, relax and enjoy a picnic, whatever the weather, after school and at weekends. 

I am so fortunate to be part of an Eden Project Community Action Course at the moment. Five weeks of inspirational stories, thought provoking ideas and information packed workshops with the focus on grass roots projects in our communities. Its also a wonderful chance to network and hear about the amazing projects that others are running or preparing to run. I'm using my time on this course to explore the possibility of introducing Community Pantries into Buckinghamshire. What would you be interested in setting up in your community?

Late Summer, Pick Your Own Produce and the Autumn Equinox

For me late August is a chance to pause before the busyness of the autumn and an opportunity to enjoy the last of the summer weather, sunrise and sunset dog walks, summer recipes and time pottering in the garden.

I also love trips to my local (PYO) 'Pick Your Own' farm for fruit and flowers. As a child we used to head out to farms in Worcestershire and Shropshire and come home with boxes of strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and gooseberries which would be turned into pies and crumbles and stored in the freezer for autumn deserts. I'm sure I ate as much as I picked as I remember hands sticky and stained with berry juice.

Over the last few years our local Pick Your Own farm has been Peterley Manor Farm which offers Christmas trees in the winter, sunflowers in late August and a pumpkin patch in the autumn along side the variety of fruit through the summer. My hands still get stained with juice but I now try to resist eating what I've picked until its been weighed! Just as my mother and grandmothers did, I prepare pies and crumbles for the freezer and the autumn months.

This year the Autumn Equinox occurs on Sunday 22nd September. In the Northern Hemisphere it marks the end of summer and the beginning of astronomical autumn and the Pagan festival of Mabon. We can also define autumn through phenology and meteorology. Phenology uses ecological and biological signs such as leaves changing colour and birds migrating to indicate the changing seasons, while meteorology uses three equal months per season and autumn begins on the 1st September.

The Harvest Moon, the full moon nearest the equinox, occurs on the 17th September 2024 and historically, the illumination of the full moon gave farmers extra hours to bring the harvest in. Once the harvest was brought home, a harvest supper was prepared to share with family and neighbours to celebrate and give thanks. Harvest suppers and festivals continue up and down the UK today and are held throughout September and October and this is perhaps the closest celebration we have to Thanksgiving.

Summer Shows and The Churchill Fellowship Award Ceremony

In the UK there is a long history of holding agricultural and county shows with over 400 shows on offer each year. These shows are culturally important to rural communities, giving people a opportunity to get together, enjoy the day and perhaps, show their best livestock, flowers, vegetables, crafting and baking skills or technical skills such as ploughing or thatching. It also gives those from more urban communities a chance to reconnect to countryside, food, farming and rural life.

The last Thursday in August is reserved, on my calendar, every year for the Bucks County Show, which prides itself in being one of the best 1 day agricultural shows in the country. We arrive early, just after 8am, to make the most of the day and head for one of the food vendors to buy a cuppa, which we take with us as we explore the stalls and attractions. We look forward to the routine of the day, reconnecting with familiar faces and a dish of strawberries and melted chocolate for mid morning energy boost! We marvel at the size of the home grown flowers and vegetables and sample artisan produce in the food hall. At the end of the day we head home, pleasantly tired, looking forward to the next shows or food festivals in the calendar.

Late August and early September have been especially busy this year and on the 3rd September 2024 I attended the Churchill Fellowship Award Ceremony in London. I was one of 122 Fellows who were presented with medallions in recognition of our completed research projects. Mine related to my care farming research in 2021. The Chair of the Churchill Fellowship Jeremy Soames spoke of this not being the ending of our Fellowships but rather the beginning of new chapters, as we take what we have learnt and use it in our communities. The Churchill Fellowship is currently open for applications for 2025 fellowships.

Community Larders and Mood Boosting Food

Each summer I look forward to eating the food I've grown in my garden. This year I've had particular success with my hanging basket strawberries, potatoes and herbs. 

According to the ONS 1 in 8 households in Britain do not have access to a private or shared garden but a lack of outdoor space doesn't need to stop you growing. Containers and window boxes can produce great results with crops such as herbs, strawberries, spinach, beans, lettuce, carrots and celery.  Or you could try joining your local community garden or registering for an allotment with your local council.

Some community projects, food banks or larders will offer trays of micro greens or pots of herbs to encourage people to try simple growing at home.

Community Larders are different from food banks. They are pop up hubs that enable people to purchase good food at a significantly reduced price. They can also make a difference to the environment by reducing food waste. Surplus food, that may have otherwise been thrown away, is regularly donated by supermarkets and food producers. Larders offer a range of fresh, frozen and packet produce that may differ each week. They also offer support and advice on topics such as work, health or finances. Many larders have a small annual membership scheme that enables people to purchase a number of items each week free of charge.

The access to good nutritious food can not be overestimated for our physical and mental health. Food and its impact on health seems to be in the spotlight at the moment with discussions about the links between ultra processed food and chronic diseases. 

An article by the Harvard Medical School in 2022 discussed how multiple studies have shown links between the type of food we eat and the impact on our mood and mental health as well as physical health. Diets high in refined sugars impact on the bodies regulation of insulin, promote inflammation, impair brain function and worsen the symptoms of mood conditions such as depression.

The charity MIND suggests that eating protein rich diets such as nuts and seeds, milk, eggs, cheese, lean meat, fish, soya and legumes can support good mental health. They also suggest eating regularly, eating slow release energy foods such as brown rice, nuts and wholegrain bread, drinking plenty of fluids such as water, herbal tea and tea to avoid dehydration and aid concentration, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, eating healthy fats from oily fish, nuts and seeds, avoiding alcohol and minimising caffeine.

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start in the face of so much medical or scientific publicity or advice but maybe it is possible to start with one step or one thing as recommended by the late Dr Michael Mosley in his books, television shows and podcasts. 

What will be your first step?

Home grown tomatoes 

Food, a Sense of Place and the Scone Wars!

One summer weekend, my parents decided to run a pop up cafe in our garden to raise money for local charities inspired by our frequent trips to Cornwall where we consumed delicious cream teas of scones with jam and clotted cream. They decided to serve Gornal Cream Teas and a selection of homemade cakes.

Those of you familiar with Cornwall and Devon will know of the long running friendly rivalry between the two counties about how to prepare your scone. The Cornish put the jam on the scone first followed by the cream and the Devonians eat theirs with the cream first and jam on the top! The National Media often refers to this as the 'Scone Wars' Although this may sound trivial to some, for many people living in Devon and Cornwall this is part of their identity and sense of place.But what is a Sense of Place? 

Sense of Place is a complex concept that looks at the relationship between people and spaces. It can be used to describe a physical place or the feelings held by people about a place. It is a lens or theoretical framework more commonly used by anthropologists, geographers, sociologists and psychologists to consider topics such as, how exposure to nature as a child shapes an adults view of the environment later in life. It is also an approach used by planners when designing towns and cities.

Sense of Place can also be used as a lens within food systems to renew our relationships with food and farming. One of the simplest ways that food can give us a physical sense of place is by growing and eating our own home grown produce. Food can also be used to craft feelings and a sense of another place. We may do this on a regular basis without even realising, by cooking a favourite dish of a family member or replicating a recipe from a memorable holiday.

Research by Fanfani and Rovai in 2022 discussed how a sense of belonging, sense of place and link to the heritage of an area can reinvigorate local food and bolster fair and sustainable systems between communities and food.

Over the last few months I have been working with colleagues to restart what was the Buckinghamshire Food Partnership. BFP began in 2020 but sadly closed in 2023. Our new incarnation 'Good Food Bucks' will launch later this year. Both of the organisations were founded on the principles of Sustainable Food Places or SFP's. There are currently over 100 SFP's across UK, supporting their communities by bringing together multiple stakeholders to work as inclusive cross sector partnerships that collaborate to create lasting change in local areas. Have a look at their website to find your nearest SFP.