From The Editor

CREATION time begins this month with a focus on caring for our planet and the gifts generously given to us.

It is also a reminder of the need to try to eat seasonally and be conscious (wherever possible) of the distances travelled by what we eat.

Autumn is also the season (in some places) of harvest, but also of planting for harvest in the spring and beyond.

As the cost of food and food production continues to rise, there is likely to be renewed interest this season in how to grow your own food.

Even where space is limited or nonexistent, a small garden can be created from a small number of pots. Gardening experts recommend that winter lettuce, salad greens and radishes can be sown for enjoyment in the months to come.

Broccoli and cauliflower can also be sown this month to grow on and use in 2023.

Growing your own is not only satisfying, it is a reminder that food does not grow in supermarkets. Growing your own foodstuff – no matter how small or limited – is a reminder of the importance of nurture and not a little faith. Regular watering and feeding in the right conditions can lead to a successful crop.

Freshly grown produce also has a tendency to taste much better.

There is also a genuine sense of satisfaction in successfully nurturing even the smallest and most basic of crops.

The sense of achievement is palpable, but it is also a reminder of how our food is produced and connects us more closely to the growing seasons.

Producing food is also time-consuming.

“Growing your own is not only satisfying, it is a reminder that food does not grow in supermarkets.

Sowing now will not produce results overnight, but will take many weeks and months of careful nurture.

Even the smallest of fruit or vegetable patches requires regular care – weeding, watering and even feeding or a special fleece or covering over the winter to encourage growth.

Some people will never have experienced the delight or had the opportunity to try to grow their own food – and simply do not know what to do or how to go about it.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts to others this season could be the gift of a single seed in a pot which could result in a satisfying springtime (or beyond) crop – and the promise of a future recipe or mini cooking lesson incorporating the mini crop – with a promise to share the skills with at least one other person.

Echoing the Parable of the Mustard Seed, this offers a timely reminder of the growth of the Kingdom of God from the smallest and humblest of beginnings. ¤

Lynne McNeil Editor