Harvest - a time for gratitude

Autumn is here and it’s that time of the year when squirrels and other animals are actively preparing for winter by gathering in the bounty of the autumn to see them through the colder months. It is a time of harvest for us too, though this passes unnoticed by many today due to our disconnect from the land and from farming. We have become so reliant on our year round supplies from supermarkets of produce from all over the world. We can get many things out of season at any time of the year. People are generally far less aware of what is produced locally and when it is in season than in times gone by.

Traditionally, harvest has always been an important time in the calendar and many customs, rituals and traditions have grown up across the world relating to and celebrating the bringing in of the harvest. After all, a good harvest was critical for our survival. It seems a real shame that these practices are less common today.

Although we are much more detached from the importance of a good harvest these days, anyone with a garden, allotment or outdoor space who grows any vegetables, fruit, or herbs will know the satisfaction of having produced their own food is immense. The taste is far better than anything you can buy too! Whether its a few pots of herbs on the windowsill, a grow bag of tomatoes, a single apple tree, or a super productive allotment, it is still wonderfully rewarding and helps to boost our wellbeing

Foraging for produce in nature, such as gathering blackberries (if you are confident in what you are picking), is also an act of harvesting and also gives great pleasure.

The act of picking, pulling or gathering food from the garden, allotment, pot, or from nature, is only part of the harvest story though. The act of preserving the produce to keep you going through the winter is also necessary and very satisfying. Whether it is stewing and bottling or freezing apples, or making jam from blackberries, or drying herbs, these practices are also critical for making the most of this precious bounty from nature. Why not explore different ways of preserving a glut of produce you have to make them last longer?

If you are not fortunate enough to have a productive outdoor space, or you don’t feel confident enough to go foraging, you can still embrace the joys of the harvest season by finding out what is produced locally and is currently in season and therefore relatively cheap to buy and have a go at trying different ways to preserve them to keep you going through the lean times.

The final step of course is to be grateful for your harvest - however small - and to celebrate it. A wonderful way of celebrating harvest is to prepare a delicious meal using your produce and inviting friends or family round to enjoy it with you.

With September comes the harvest, a reminder of nature's abundance and generosity.’

- Unknown

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‘Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.’

- Robert Louis Stevenson