Euan McIntyre

 

Fruit and veg is now more available than ever, with supermarkets stocking everything from cauliflowers to carrots. 

 

So why bother growing anything yourself? 

 

"Life begins the day you start a garden"

- Chinese proverb. 

Most people are aware of the term ‘hunter gatherer’. People who live a hunter gatherer lifestyle obtain most, or all of their food by foraging. They are generally opposed to most agricultural practices, preferring to eat what nature provides for them, rather than bending it to their will.

 

This is how humans lived for almost 2.5 million years.

 

Just 10,000 years ago however, this changed. People began to devote their time to tasks such as pulling out weeds, watering plants and saving seeds to sow themselves, in a more controlled environment.

 

Thus began what we now call the agricultural revolution.

 

The agricultural revolution involved the domestication of animals, but also the rearing and cultivating of food crops.

 

Wheat was among the first crops to be domesticated, along with peas and lentils shortly after. In fact more than 90% of the calories that we consume today come from the small group of plants that were first cultivated between 9500 and 3500 BC. These include wheat, rice, maize, potatoes and barley.

 

As Yuval Noah Harari puts it, in his book Sapiens:

 

“If our minds are those of hunter gatherers, our cuisine is that of ancient farmers”. 

 

Of course today, there is no need for people to forage for food, or grow their own.

 

Fruit and veg have become so widely available and affordable, that many people who have the space, time and energy to grow produce in their own garden, choose not to.

 

But growing your own food is one of the most rewarding practices there is. Not only will it taste far better than shop bought produce, it can also be healthier, good for your mental health, better for the environment and in some cases, cheaper.  

 

 

There is ongoing debate over fresh vs frozen veg.

 

Fruit and vegetables are between 70-90% water, so from the second they are harvested, they start to lose moisture. Not to mention nutrients and minerals start depleting as soon as produce is picked.

 

Peas for example, lose almost half of their vitamin C within the first 1-2 days of being pulled from the plant.

 

Modern day storage techniques, such as blanching before freezing, mean that certain vegetables can retain most of their nutrients, and prevent them from drying out too much.

 

That’s not to say that fresh produce won’t face this same challenge. If 200kg of broad beans are harvested in Dorset, then by the time they get to Aldi in Thurso they will have degraded almost as much as their frozen counterparts.

 

Vegetables high in sugar, such as beetroot, onions and sweetcorn (the obvious one) are incomparable fresh when up against shop bought counterparts.

 

The instant they are harvested, these sugars begin to convert to more complex sugar compounds, called starches.

 

In the case of beetroot for example, this is a reaction to the plant having its ability to photosynthesise halted. The swollen roots’ purpose is to store energy in the form of starch, to help the plant survive through the winter months.

 

Beetroot is a biennial, meaning that left to its own devices, it would grow for two years (although in the second year, the tap root would be more or less inedible, which is why we sow and harvest in the same year). By harvesting and eating on the same day, you can head this process off at the pass, getting to enjoy your produce at its absolute best.  

 

 

We come now to the more flowery (I was always going to try and squeeze in at least one pun) side of gardening - mind, body & soul.

 

People have used gardening as a means of escape for centuries.

 

In ancient Egypt, green was a sacred colour, representing hopefulness toward the coming of spring.

 

Regardless of how much we advance as a race, humans will always have a connection to nature - this is evident in the many studies that show gardening can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Therapeutic gardening has an enormous range of options, more so than any other therapeutic activity.

 

For the record, I don’t think of mental health as being “flowery”. I just couldn’t resist the pun.

 

Demand for allotments has never been higher, as more and more people try to steer towards a more organic way of life and away from produce riddled with pesticides and grown with chemical fertilisers.

 

Not to mention all the food miles that your shop bought veg has racked up. Scots especially seem to be making an effort to shop small, and stick it to the metaphorical corporate man.

 

The logical next step, is to just stick it to all the metaphorical men, corporate or not, and start to grow your own.

 

During the second world war, the government pushed people to “Dig for Victory” and many believe that Scottish grown potatoes saved Britain from starvation.

 

In the 70s with the invention of the grow bag, balconies in cities all over Britain were adorned with bags spilling over with produce, making blocks of flats look like tropical hanging gardens.  

 

The modern day movement supporting growing your own is veganism and vegetarianism.

 

The realisation that Scots consume far too much meat has spurred a lot of people on to become part-time vegetarians, or switch to a completely veggie or vegan diet. A move that goes hand in hand with starting a kitchen garden.

 

For me, planting and growing fruit and veg is every bit as rewarding as harvesting and eating them.

 

Unfortunately, for some, home grown produce is unattainable.

 

At least in the short term.

 

Waiting lists for allotments are notoriously long. And cramped living conditions in many cities mean that a lot of people don’t have any outside space, and so don’t currently have this luxury.

 

That’s where restaurants like Fhior come in.

 

Just because people aren’t able to grow their own, doesn’t mean they have to miss out. Veg from the garden is picked in the morning, and on the plate that same evening. 

 

 

Fhior garden is still young. Having been fallow ground for around three years, then cleared with the help of our two resident saddleback pigs, there is still groundwork to be done.

 

Once fully established, we want to be able to provide people with a chance to taste properly fresh veg, grown without chemicals, at their finest.

 

An experience no one should have to miss out on.