Harvest, Lammas Day and Community Gardens

 

I love harvest time and the opportunity to gather together and share a meal or swap a glut of fruit, vegetables, jams, honey or eggs with family, friends and neighbours. The 1st August each year is Lammas Day and a time to celebrate the first harvest, the grain harvest. Lammas is both a Pagan and Christian celebration and marks the half way point between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. The word Lammas comes from the Old English Loaf Mass because loaves were blessed in Church.

As a child my family and I used to attend the annual village Harvest Festival which included donating fresh, packet or tinned produce, which were sold off at the Harvest Sale the next day. The centre piece of the harvest display was the beautiful hand baked harvest wheat sheaf loaf complete with a harvest mouse made out of dough. Every year I hoped that my pocket money would be enough to allow me to bid for the loaf and every year I was disappointed. I keep promising myself that I will make or buy a wheat sheaf loaf but haven't yet got round to that. Maybe this year I will...

Many of us love spending time in the garden and the taste of home grown fruit and vegetables is often hard to beat. As well as providing tasty produce, gardening is also great for our physical health and mental health. You don't need lots of space to grow a few crops and pots and window boxes can be just as productive if outdoor space is limited. 

Or if you would like to connect with others, make use of more space for growing and learn from those in your neighbourhood perhaps, you could consider joining your local community garden. Well planned spaces can offer a place to engage with nature and get active in the garden. If there are no community gardens in your area you may even consider setting up your own!

Care Farms and Community Gardens are often very separate types of green space but perhaps Care Farms could find a small plot of land that could be used for growing activities with clients as part of their regular sessions? I'll share more about this in a future blog.