With many people on furlough for weeks and even months combined with glorious spring weather last year, we saw a rise in home-grown veg. And with good reason. If you’re still buying your fruit and veg from your local supermarket, it might be time to make the switch.
If you don’t have the luxury of a garden and no access to an allotment, you can still grow your own herbs in potted plants indoors!
Still not convinced it’s time to grow your own, here are just some of the benefits.
Cheaper
With rising food prices and delays in supply chains, it can be cheaper to actually grow your own fruit and vegetables. The secret is to grow things seasonally. Around six in ten say that rising food prices meant they’re trying to become more economical by growing their own, with two in ten having less disposable income to spend on food.
Good for the environment
In order to provide customers with a wide variety of produce, supermarkets often bring in fruit and vegetables that originate from other countries. And whilst this has meant we experience a varied diet; it has had a huge impact on the carbon emissions taken to transport the perishable goods.
You’ll also find that the majority of fruit and vegetables are wrapped in copious amounts of plastic. Although supermarkets are increasingly making efforts to reduce their use of single-use plastics, the need to keep fruit and vegetables fresh, means that plastic is still heavily relied upon.
Growing your own eliminates both of these common and harmful environmental factors.
Health benefits
We all know the importance of getting outside in nature but growing your own fruit and veg has also been shown to have a therapeutic and induce an almost meditative state.
Gardening is a great way to combat stress and anxiety, with fresh air and exercise being widely recommended to people suffering with their mental health. The various tasks involved in producing greens for your kitchen table, from planting seeds to harvesting vegetables, are sure to increase your daily activity.
Flavour
Home-grown fruit and vegetables enjoy a real flavour! If you regularly buy store-bought fruit and veg chances are you accept the flavour, but when you taste natural, pesticide free fruit and veg you’ll get a taste like no other.
Of course, to really appreciate these new flavours, you’ll need the right cookware to bring them out. Whether you sauté your potatoes or make your own homemade jam, home-grown is the way to go.
Sense of achievement
In the same way victory always tastes sweeter when it’s something you’ve worked hard for, growing your own fruit and veg gives a real sense of achievement. When you eat something you’ve grown it tastes all the better.
And now we can host friends and family again, there’s no better way to show the fruits of your labour by cooking them a delicious meal of home-grown food.
