Here's the first of my allotment diaries. I've taken on an overgrown plot - and plan to grow all my own organic fruit and vegetables. But will I succeed?
It is one of the most important elements of authentic Italian cuisine: the use of fresh, high quality, ingredients. The great thing about Italian food is that it is not about showing off the skills of the cook – but of showing off the quality of the produce.
And there’s no better way to guarantee freshness than to grow your own. Here in south London I’ve recently taken on a large – and incredibly overgrown - allotment, on which I plan to grow all my own fruit and veg. I’d always wanted an allotment – so it’s strange to find that I’m part of a new craze. Allotments have become incredibly popular here in the past year or so – it’s all part of the new eco-awareness. Not only are people realising that flying food half way round the world (whether to eat it out of season, or because it’s cheap) isn’t exactly great for the environment; they’re also realising that growing food organically, without artificial pesticides, is better for them too.
There’s a waiting list for these plots of land in many parts of Britain, particularly London. Which makes it even more disgraceful that the British government has decided to demolish a large allotment plot in Hackney for the 2012 Olympics. 100 year old Manor Garden Allotments, granted in perpetuity to the people by the original benefactor, is going to be destroyed to make way for a footpath that will last 4 weeks – so much for the claim that they are putting ‘green’ awareness at the heart of the Olympics. The Manor Garden association had an imaginative plan that would have meant the allotments could be incorporated into the site – and become a green feature. But, despite nearly 8,000 people signing a petition to save Manor Gardens, the government has decided to ignore it. However, the battle isn’t over yet – have a look at their website. And I’ll soon give an update on my plot – which I plan to make fully organic.
