From my garden to the table: This year’s homegrown wins...

While most of my recent time and energy has gone into setting up our brand-new community garden — a space where the kids in our village will get the chance to sow, grow, and harvest their own food next year — I haven’t been neglecting my own patch at home. In fact, it’s been one of the most rewarding years yet.

This summer has blessed me with a bumper crop of cucumbers, the kind you can pick fresh in the morning and still taste the sunshine by lunchtime. The radishes have been crisp and peppery, the rhubarb thick and tangy, and the lettuces as fresh as you could wish for. There’s a simple joy in walking out into the garden, picking what you need, and bringing it straight to the table — no packaging, no food miles, just pure homegrown flavour.

But the bounty hasn’t been limited to the ground. The fruit trees have been just as generous this year. My apple crop is shaping up to be a big one, with branches bending under the weight. Pears are coming along beautifully, and the plums are already tempting me with their deep colour and promise of sweetness.

As much as I’m looking forward to seeing the community garden flourish next year, there’s something deeply grounding about tending to my own space, too. It’s a reminder that even in the busiest seasons, making time to nurture what’s right in front of you can yield the sweetest — and tastiest — rewards.