Pamela Weaver

The taste of a freshly pulled organic carrot simply can’t be beaten by anything you get at the shops – even dyed-in-the-wool organic-skeptics admit that they taste better. For a product that’s widely viewed as something of a poster child for everything that’s good about natural produce (who can resist photos of baskets of them, complete with their fan of green foliage?), it’s interesting to note that carrots are quite possibly one of the most tweaked-with vegetables around. Originating in Afghanistan, selective breeding over centuries has improved everything from the appearance to the texture and, indeed, the colour: carrots of yore were naturally purple – the orange was bred into them by, surprise surprise, the Dutch. Today, carrots come in all shapes, sizes and colours as diverse as purple, white, yellow and red. If you’re thinking of growing your own, maybe opt ... (more)

Starting Out With Seeds and Seedlings

Whether you’ve got a lot of space to work with or you’re simply hoping for a few tomatoes in containers, it can be hard to know where to start with your vegetable garden. Just deciding what to grow can pose a challenge for some, but the best advice anyone could give you is, happily, simple: Grow mainly what you like to eat. Courgettes are easy to grow – as legends of neighbours of grow-your-owners hiding from yet another delivery of them can attest – but if you’re not that keen, having kilos of the beggars at your disposal is a waste of time. Keep things interesting by growing... (more)

Organic Farming Can Tackle Climate Change

The UK’s Soil Association has announced that if all British farmland was converted to organic farming, at least 3.2 million tonnes of carbon would be absorbed by the soil each year – the equivalent of pulling almost 1 million cars off the roads. Research undertaken by the association (available for download here), further suggests that a worldwide switch to organic farming could offset 11% of all global greenhouse gases. Among the other findings: widespread adoption of organic farming methods in the UK would offset 23% of the country’s agricultural emissions through soil carbon... (more)

Landshare.org

Landshare.org is a British initiative that looks to re-think the way we produce and grow food. The community puts people who have land in touch with people who want to produce food and encourages people to get talking and working together. The idea is that people with a bit of spare space can offer it to a would-be grower in exchange for some of their harvest. The British TV station Channel 4 has set up a web site and forum based around the aims of the organisation. If you're looking for some inspiration and would like to get involved, why not check it out. www.landshare.org ht... (more)

Carrot and butterbean soup

Depending on where you live, soup is either the last thing on your mind right now or you’re craving something hearty and warm by the fire. Either way, if you’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a successful crop of carrots and are now looking for something to do with them, this recipe for carrot and butterbean (also known as “Lima”) soup is as tasty as it’s wholesome. If you’re thinking of a starter for Christmas dinner, it’s perfect in the festive colour department too. What you need to serve six: 8 medium-to-large carrots 1 large onion, chopped. 4 cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped... (more)