11 October 2021
I was late. Our first day of learning in the renowned Airfield Estate Farm and early morning traffic caught me off guard. My first visit to Airfield was filled with both anticipation and a slight nervousness, being late heightened the nervousness. Anticipation to see the place and nervousness at the thought of attempting to ‘garden’ in front of people. I describe myself as a fair weather gardener, a little lazy and an over willingness to explain that I am part wilding! Gardening for me has been at times all-consuming, but, latterly a greater emphasis has been put on just sitting enjoying the sounds, smells and weeds. Lots of weeds.
My passion for food however has forced me to look deeper into how our food is produced. The need to understand this at a deep level does not necessarily mean I must grow all my own fruit and vegetables, (phew!) but, it does mean I should understand the work, science and social implications of what it takes to bring vegetables to the market.
The class
Introductions over Paula outlined what we would be covering in the module and dived straight into talking about the importance of the site you plan to grow on, (site selection). The importance of knowing the type of soil you have, the pH and quality of that soil, shelter, water and of course sun. When I think of vegetable growing my mind’s eye brings me to idyllic plots, large, open and surrounded by countryside. This of course couldn’t be further from the reality for many gardeners or small growers. Joy Larkcom recognises this in her ‘Grow your own Vegetables’ book where she says “todays gardeners are more likely to be overshadowed by a neighbouring house or even a tower block”. This rings true for me, a small front and back garden, surrounded by neighbours. Up until now I have contented myself with attempting to make my garden pretty. Something nice to look at, I now struggle internally with that concept. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I am guilty of letting my neighbours judge that for me. I mentioned earlier that I have at times been obsessed with gardening, it waned, I realise the reason for this may be the loss of challenge. Anyone can stick a flower in a pot or the ground. No work involved, no need to think about the soil too much, the purpose of that plant. If the wind destroys it, I can always get another one in the many garden centres that are prolific in my area. It’s boring and achieves very little. I want more from my gardening experience.
Paula made me think. I have no idea what type of soil is in my garden. I do know that the back catches the wind, that the Hydrangeas changed colour when I moved them and that was an indicator of the Ph value of my soil, knowing your soil Ph will determine what grows well. I know that I get morning sun at the front and afternoon and evening sun at the back. However, I have never timed that sun, is there an average of 6 hours at either end? Paula indicated that most vegetables require at least that amount per day to grow successfully, is it any wonder my attempts at growing food in a few tin baths at the back have been far from successful?
I’m annoyed at myself, the arrogance and waste of throwing Garden Centre plugs into the ground or pots, giving them little chance of survival and then expecting them to perform for me. Why, as a chef and a person who loves to be in nature have I been so soulless when it comes to growing food? So many times I have inspected the produce brought to me by suppliers, points of “quality” checked, sizes, grades, colour, smell, all valid in their own right, but, no conversations about where or how they were grown, the effort of organic growers, the challenges they faced and their reasons for doing what they do. Choosing Organically grown was for me a menu description, a trend and sure they would have to taste better, right?
It was our first class and my curiosity was piqued. What exactly is soil? Can the type of soil we grow our vegetables in make them taste different? Does the science say the nutrient value will be different from commercially grown? According to Theuer (2006), studies report little or no consistent difference in taste and organoleptic qualities. However, consumer’s perception differs considerably, studies report they believe there is a better taste from Eco Labelled produce, dubbed the “Green Halo Effect”.
The soil discussion was for me amongst the most important learning, and there is a lot to learn. Many aspects of the science are contradictory, where everybody appears to agree however, is that the fertility and bio-makeup of the soil is everything. If you want to successfully grow vegetables, nourish your soil, protect it in winter, plant a diverse range of plants, invite the bugs in, understand the soil has a microbiome just like us.
Paula’s first class underpinned the need to get to grips with the basics, know your site, nourish and protect the soil, choose your plants with care and understand that your garden is a living breathing and giving entity. There was much more to this lecture than facts, it became clear that to understand how your garden grows you must first understand the soul of your garden. I look forward to the practical classes, still with some trepidation but, I plan to dive into the suggested reading material and get up close and personal with my own soil before digging into our allotted little piece of Airfield Farm.
Fiona
Fiona gave us the grand tour. So much to see! Beautiful grounds, beautiful vegetable plots, all so neat and well cared for. Fiona did not just give this tour in a robotic this is the house kind of way, she peppered it with gardening advice, foraging, tales from her own farming background, social dilemmas, animal husbandry, and cooking. In awe of her easy recall and breadth of knowledge we soaked up the information as best we could, it was hard to keep up at times. Finishing off at the (enviable) Inspiration Kitchen Fiona shared some of her ferments and pickles, a perfect way to end an information packed day.
Thoughts
Driving home from our first day at Airfield I noted a feeling of anger. Anger at myself and my lack of thought and knowledge. Why am I doing this course, perhaps it’s not for me, perhaps I should stick to what I know and leave the growing to those that have a passion for it, where is my passion?
This was a difficult reflection to write. As chefs we design menus, purchase, prepare cook. It’s all quite immediate. That’s not to say there isn’t planning involved, there is but, and it’s a big but how much do we really understand about how that produce gets to us? This reflection is full of many questions, far too many to make it a good piece of writing. It’s all I can do for now, ask the questions
TK
References
Larkcom, Joy. (2002) Grow your own Vegetables, Frances Lincoln edition 1, Hamlyn Reed, London. Pge 12, chapter 3.
Theuer, R. C. (2006). The Organic Center, Do organic fruits and vegetables taste better than conventional fruits and vegetables? State of the Science Review: Taste of organic food. [Online] available at: https://www.organicag.org/tastes-organic-vs-conventional-fruits-and-vegetables. Accessed 13 October 2021.
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