What's the Hungry Gap?

What’s the Hungry Gap?

You may associate Spring with growth, abundance, and fields bursting to life, but the reality is that when it comes to growing food in Spring, it’s quite the opposite. While supermarkets have given us a false sense of Spring seasonality, what actually grows in the UK during March till June makes for slim pickings - with April being the leanest month of the year. This period is called the Hungry Gap - a gap in the season where farmers have harvested their winter crops and used up the onions, potatoes, and roots they’ve stored over winter and are waiting on the spring/summer crops to be ready in May and June. Thus, we’re left with a gap in our season.  

How can I support British farmers during this time? 

If you mainly shop in supermarkets or don’t eat seasonally then it’s pretty easy to ignore the Hungry Gap - we have an abundance of produce flown in from all over the world that enables us to eat whatever we want, whenever we want it. However, there are ways to eat imported food more mindfully and still support UK producers during the Hungry Gap, and all year round.

Many UK farmers who run veg box schemes or farm shops import food from other countries, especially during this time in the season. The difference between supporting them vs. buying imported produce from the supermarket is that organic, small-scale farms will partner with other organic growers in Europe to source imported produce that maintains the standards they set for themselves. In a larger supply chain (i.e. through a supermarket) it is a lot harder to know exactly where your food is coming from and to know that the farmers who grew it are treated right and paid fairly. Farmers will also import foods that are actually in season in those other countries (i.e. Spanish blood oranges) - ensuring that you are eating foods that are naturally at their best and supporting small, local growers in those countries. 

Buying your food from local UK farms through a farm shop, farmers’ market or veg box scheme also enables you to understand more about the UK growing season. While you may be getting a bit more imported produce in your box during the Hungry Gap, you will still be supporting a local business that will offer you honest, transparent food throughout the entire year. This is especially wonderful when the abundance of summer vegetables hits and you can try lots of new things you wouldn’t find in the supermarket. 

What UK veg can I enjoy during the Hungry Gap?

While the Hungry Gap means less variety, there’s still some delicious UK-grown produce to enjoy. From January to April look out for Purple Sprouting Broccoli, it’s delicious in a stir-fry or curry. Wild Garlic comes out in abundance around the end of February till April and can be easily foraged - look out for it in nearby woodlands (but make sure not to mistake it for Lily of the Valley - more on that here). Rhubarb, Spring Greens and New Potatoes (Jersey Royals and Cornish ‘earlies’ are delicious) are available from March till June/July. And, of course, the Asparagus season that starts around late April is a great way to support British growers. 

Spring greens growing at Plotgate Community Farm in Glastonbury, UK

Why All Children Should Learn How To Grow Food

As a child, I would watch each year as my mother planted seeds - she would poke holes into the soil and place them into the earth. I accepted the process without question when vegetables ended up on my plate - it wasn’t until I planted the seeds myself that it clicked. I learnt that food is not meant to be a pre-packaged product that never expires. I saw first-hand how the simple action of planting and nurturing food can inspire and, both physically and mentally, aid us.

When we plant a seed we instantly become part of a cycle of growth and regeneration - we intertwine with the elements to foster the development of foods that have sustained humankind for millennia. In doing so we not only give our time and energy over to this process but equally gain a wealth of knowledge in return. The soil can teach us lessons that we cannot learn anywhere else.

This is why it’s so important that children are exposed to growing food from a young age. Whatever their background, social circumstances or economic status - access to an outdoor growing space should be a basic right, especially for children. Through the act of growing food, children can learn how to take responsibility for a life, nurture a seed from planting to harvest day and actively participate in the food system.

Through this simple action, children are offered a direct connection to a powerful life force in the form of soil. One tablespoon of soil contains more organisms in it than there are people on earth. While it may just seem like a bit of dirt on your shoe, there’s an entire world in a piece of mud. And while there are many types of soil for different uses, if we ran out of soil tomorrow the stability of our world would very quickly collapse [2].

As a child, it was only through experiencing how food ended up on my plate that I came to value the process - by reconnecting with our food in this way we can begin to understand its value. This value not only extends to the quality of our food but also to the actual content. When children have the opportunity to taste, touch and experience the food that they have grown themselves they will start to see all other food in a different way and themselves in a different way too. Children are our future leaders, pioneers and changemakers - showing them the importance of growing food in a way that benefits both people and the planet will empower them with the knowledge to make choices for a better world in the long run.

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[1] http://www.audubon.org/news/10-incredible-facts-about-dirt

[2]http://world.time.com/2012/12/14/what-if-the-worlds-soil-runs-out/

How Growing Food Can Improve Your Mental Health

Every Thursday morning I used to walk down a path in the middle of a field. The path was laid out with wood chip and soil. To my left a labyrinth of large courgette and squash leaves sheltered the vegetables hiding beneath them; to my right an array of herbs grew, resembling a mini forest. My mood instantly changed when I set foot on this path. Walking through the wooden gate that led to the path, I felt instantly at ease; at home amongst the compost and non-judgemental eyes of well-watered vegetables.

The path led me to a shed filled with familiar faces, all here seeking the same space that I was seeking. A place where their mind could let go and focus on something entirely different. From just in front of the shed you could see the entire skyline of London, from the Shard to the BT tower. It only took me over an hour to get there from Brixton, but it felt like another world entirely. You would rarely see people using their phones, the air actually felt fresh and instead of high-rise buildings you were surrounded by rows of salad leaves, Polytunnels and a tractor.

What image does the idea of city life evoke for you? Buses, crowds of people, offices maybe. For those of us that live in busy cities like London, it can be very hard to switch off and relax. Our brains are in a constant cycle of deadlines, meetings and general life admin that seems harder to achieve when you live in this cacophony of constant motion. We have little insight into how our lives are ruled by technology; we wonder why we find it hard to sleep at night, even though our brains are constantly stimulated.

Until I discovered a place where my mind could rest I had little understanding of how much it needed to do just that. As a society, we have a habit of downplaying the importance of self-care in favour of a ‘get it done’ attitude - as if there isn’t room to stop for a few hours and allow your mind to switch tack, to focus on something that has nothing to do with your work or reaching a goal set by your superiors.

A recent study published by Preventative Medicine Reports suggested that less time spent in nature “results in a number of health and behavioural problems, which in sum can constitute a ‘nature-deficit disorder.’” We all know that being in nature can boost our mood and offers many medical benefits, including increased vitamin D production from exposure to the sun and the release of serotonin stimulated by physical activity, the ‘happy chemical’. But what growing food on a farm or an allotment has, as opposed to simply walking alone in nature, is being part of a community. Not only can you do an activity that gets you outside, gets your hands dirty and connects you with the earth, but you can also simultaneously be part of a like-minded community while doing it. As a recent study on the health benefits of urban allotment growing concluded, “regular gardening on allotment sites is associated with improved physical, psychological and social health.”

In England, there is increasing awareness of the importance of getting outdoors. The number of urban food-growing projects is steadily rising and people seem more aware of the importance of mental health and self-care, and their relation to nature. But there is still a record-number of young people in Britain taking anti-depressants, and preventative measures like gardening or yoga need to be taken far more seriously. Growing food not only has the power to improve mental health but also has the power to unite communities and empower people to make their own choices when it comes to their food. Choices that, in turn, could have a profound effect on how they feel in mind, body and spirit.