The Comfort-Lover's Guide to Going Green

Reflections on the Past Six Months

So, here we are, nearly halfway through my year of comfort-loving going green.

And what have I learnt during the past months? Mainly, that things never work out quite as you expect them to (I should know that already at my age!). But I'm also feeling stronger and healthier, I've had more fun than I've had in ages, and I have a feeling life is never going to be the same again.

The unexpected has mainly been this year's good old-fashioned winter. Up here in Snowdonia, we've still got small patches of snow on the mountains in June and until recently it was bitterly cold. So the polytunnel-grow-your-own idea is running a little late.

I did loads of clearing and pruning while the ground was still frozen, and I've got the flower beds sorted so it looks pretty. I loved Alys Fowler's ‘The Edible Garden', so I've planted beans and peas between the geraniums and the sedum, with lots of plans to add more next year. Every evening now involves slug patrol to remove The Enemy and send them over the wall to join the sheep. There are plenty of nettles and things for them to enjoy over there, without my precious greens being slaughtered in the night.

And then, of course, when spring finally did arrive, I overdid things trying to clear the weeds for the polytunnel, and did my back in.

Idiot.

But at least that made me stop, calm down, look around and take things at bit more easily. Okay, so I'm not going to be able to grow much this summer. But I've been reading my polytunnel book, and it's full of ideas on planting in early autumn for salad and veg during the winter. And that sounds good to me! I'm still going to get my veg box from the local farm during the summer months anyhow, and I've got a few melons and squashes sprouting away in my sunny porch. So I shall start slowly this year, and build up gradually. Which is probably the best way to go about things, when you think about it.

And the exciting thing is that I've finally managed to get the back into working order and clear the polytunnel patch - and my polytunnel has arrived! At the moment it's sitting in my living room in boxes. Lots of boxes. A rather scary amount of boxes. I decided early on that this was where I was going to swallow my pride and ask for help, but my help is on holiday for the next few days. Still, at least I know that the polytunnel will go up soon, and meanwhile I'm plotting and planning, plus researching grape vines. I've already got my chair sorted out to go in there: the most important piece of equipment in a comfort-lover's polytunnel!

The chickens, unfortunately, will have to wait til next year. The bit where they are going to go is now seriously overgrown, and I need my back to sit at the computer and earn my living, so the nettles can have free range for a while. Green plant feed instead of eggs. Ah well. But I'd rather do it right, instead of rushing things, especially as I'm planning to get ex-battery hens and they'll have had a hard life as it is, poor things. So that's my autumn and next spring excitement sorted out.

Meanwhile, I've learnt to make my own sourdough bread, while my wonderful baker is on sabbatical in France writing a book on bread-making. Okay, it's not perfect, and a couple of loaves have been a bit tough on both teeth and stomach, but I'm getting there. I bought a few loaves of supermarket bread for my morning toast: that made me persevere with the sourdough, on the principle that it couldn't possibly be worse!

And that, I suppose, is what I've learnt most of all: to really value tasty food. I used to think I had a really healthy, tasty diet. After all, I'm veggie, I try to use organic where I can, and I make most of my meals from scratch. But it's funny how your taste buds get used to something. The loaves I bought recently used to be my health-conscious taste of choice. But after a year of real sourdough, collected fresh from a real baker, they seemed tasteless. Insubstantial.

Making my own, and seeing the time and the process making real bread takes, I've taken great pleasure in the simple taste of bread. I'm suddenly becoming a connoisseur of flours. For my last loaf, I grew brave and chopped up a bit of rosemary from the garden at the last minute. It was such a tiny amount, but the taste blew me away. Now I can't wait to experiment with poppy seeds and all kinds of things I can't possibly even imagine at the moment.

And suddenly this year of comfort-loving green isn't just about the amount of plastic I'm not using any more and shopping locally as much as I can. It's about real, tasty food and a much better quality of life, as well. I've learnt to make butter in a blender with out-of-date cream and I whiz up a good dollop of hummus every week to go with my bread. And thanks to Compost Woman's lovely recipe, I'm making my own yoghurt as well.

Okay, it's slightly more time-consuming. But, on the other hand, I go shopping far less, saving endless time and stress, not to mention fuel and dealing with all that plastic that the recycling box won't take. And really, like most things, it's a matter of habit and a slight shift in mindset. After all, I've always made my own spaghetti sauce from scratch (with fresh tomatoes, too, in the summer) and don't think twice about it. It's quick, easy and tastes better than the stuff you buy. So why wouldn't I make hummus, which is even quicker and easier - especially if you cheat every now and again and go for tinned chickpeas!

So I'm now looking forward with excitement to the day when I can walk inside my polytunnel and start putting my plans into action. Plan One: plant the grape vine and a fig tree. Plan Two: take the chair, a notebook and my iPod in there to admire my handiwork and plan for an exciting all-year-round home-grown tasty future.

And maybe even more dust will be gathering on my telly!

Juliet Greenwood

Read more about Juliet's adventures here

photos (c) Juliet Greenwood 2010