If you have never tasted a home grown tomato, warm from the greenhouse, freshly picked runner beans, tasty courgettes or a corn on the cob that was still on the plant ten minutes ago, you have missed out.
Home grown fruit and veg really is superior in taste. Because you tend to eat it soon after it has been picked, your own produce is also likely to contain more nutrients.
Bring on the wonky home grown produce!
Sometimes home grown produce may be a little wonky or discoloured, but it makes up in flavour what it lacks in beauty.
A huge bonus is that home grown costs a fraction of its shop purchased equivalent. A single packet of courgette seeds, for example, will feed you and half your street if you sow them all in one season and will cost you just a couple of pounds. A blackcurrant bush will set you back a little more but will repay you with a fabulous fruit harvest every summer for years once established.
Home grown in a small space
I know not everyone has a garden but you can grow all kinds of crops in pots and buckets on a balcony or in a small yard. You won’t be self sufficient but you can have a taste of the fruits of your own efforts and labour.
Producing home grown fruit and vegetables does involve a fai
r amount of work, of course. I like to see it as keeping me fit and saving on the price of a gym membership!
In the freezer we have chopped courgettes ready to be made into soup or chucked into casseroles as we head through the winter. There are plums, greengages, blackberries, red and blackcurrants for pies, crumbles and smoothies. Chopped tomatoes will make great pasta sauce and bags full of runner beans will be a useful accompaniment for meat and fish dishes.
Chrissie says
We are so lucky to have recently got an allotment! It has been unused for 2 years so is covered in weeds but husband has cleared a lot and has started planting. Having retired it gives him something to do, will produce lovely veggies and has also given him a social life, it is a little community! He is already bringing home veggie gifts from other people, they share and swap which is lovely,they also have a polytunnel that for a very small fee you can rent a space in. This allotment costs us £1.50 a week ( which is worth it just to get him out from under my feet !!! ) We have a small freezer in the garage which hopefully next year will be full of home grown veggies and fruit!
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
That sounds like a lovely allotment site. I had one for several years and you are right about it being a community. Great for seed and plant swaps!
Julia says
I only have a courtyard garden but was wondering if I could grow a tomato plant in the huge tub I have a clematis in as it’s in a super-hot, sunny location! They both like lots of water, right? 😀
I’ve also had salad leaves on the go before as well but have let crops slide in favour of flowers over the last couple of years. I must get planning for next year! I agree, homegrown tastes so much nicer.
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
You could definitely grow tomatoes in a tub. How about a couple of courgettes in a grow bag?
Debbie says
No garden this year, sadly. I don’t have the thumb for it in the far North where we are now. This is the first time in over thirty years or so. I bought a share in a CSA so that has been wonderful! I did plant some lettuce, chard and spinach in pots.That helped but it’s not the same. I may try again next year. I don’t know that I can do another CSA. They’re rather expensive even while being great.
Tania says
Having retired last year I up scaled my growing this year having more time to tend to it. I have a large garden but I only give over a small area to growing and it produces an amazing amount of food for two people. I do have a green house too. As long as you feed, weed and look after the plants they’ll look after you.
Julia says
I tend mostly to buy frozen veggies from Iceland as being more economic and less waste, but I did buy a couple of courgettes from Aldi for a change recently.
They were horribly bitter.
Do you have that problem with your homegrown ones Jane?
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
No, never. That’s odd!
Eloise (thisissixty.blog) says
Hi Jane, I was reading a post and thought about you with your excess of courgettes. Thought you might like a recipe for a lemon cake with courgette!
https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/11184476/posts/9474
shoestringjane@outlook.com says
Ooh thanks for that Eloise