This is…Julie

Like Chiqui, Julie’s been volunteering at Growing Communities since April. With no experience, apart from growing herbs on her balcony, she totally enthuses about her Tuesdays spent with us. She’s a regular at our Farmers’ Market on Saturdays and comes to Allens Gardens because she wants to be involved in the practical side of the things that she has been interested in for a long time, agreeing with us that the local economy is vital.

What do you most like about volunteering here?
It’s really peaceful to be outside and getting the fresh air…I feel like I’m not in London. London can be an assault. I’m in a different head space here, which feels really healthy. It’s good to have contact with nature. I would like to be able to give more time than I do. And the jelly & ice-cream!*

What don’t you like?
That’s not come up yet. The work is quite hard, but I don’t mind that.

Tell me something that you’ve learned from working here
Well, it’s confirmed what I thought, that organic growing is not easy. I’ve been learning things bit by bit, taking in things slowly.

And what do you do in the rest of your time?
I’m developing a research project on public services, valuing care services against privatisation.

* This was a first-time treat today, with apprentice Ida making special vegan red-currant jelly from the berries left over from last week.  We’re hoping it’s sparked a new tradition in super yummy puddings on a Tuesday…

Leaf of the Week: Red Veined Sorrel

This week saw the first major cutting of a new leaf we are trialing on our Clissold site – red veined sorrel. We thought we would give it a try this year after reading about it in Charles Dowding’s Salad Leaves for All Seasons – he calls it blood-veined sorrel. It turns out, as he said it would, to be less vigorous than the broad-leaved sorrel that we normally grow. And to be honest, both Ru and I are not terribly impressed with its flavour, nor its texture. However, it is a rather fine looking leaf…

…and, thrown in amongst the other leaves in our salad bag, I think it does rather well.  Annie, one of last year’s apprentices who turned up this week for the packing (thank-you Annie!), singled it out from the trough as ‘such a beautiful leaf.’

To quote Dowding, it has ‘powerful citric acid bite’ and so its rather low yields turns into a bit of a benefit, as you don’t need too large a quantity in your salad bowl. Like all sorrels, it is perennial, so if you are growing it at home, you won’t have to sow it every year, unless you want new tender plants…