My name is Russell and I love to cook! But for me, a lot of the preparation for my meals starts long before I reach the kitchen. Now, I begin out in the garden.
Growing Greens
I have always loved to get as close as possible to meal preparation, from peeling and slicing to steaming the goodness into my veg. I also love to eat them!
When I’m not cooking up a storm in the kitchen, one of my other favourite things to do is to spend time in the garden, sitting in the sunshine. Who wouldn’t like to sit in the sun though - it’s so relaxing and very good for you!
My ubu enabler and I were thinking about some outcomes that I could achieve and we looked at bringing the things that I loved doing together AND developing some new skills along the way. When we worked out what I could do that would bring my cookery and love of the outdoors together, we realised that growing my own vegetables would be a great plan of action. What’s more, the outcomes would be both measurable and edible! And so that’s exactly what I did!
Next Steps
In order to develop my green fingers, my ubu enabler and I visited the local garden centre, where they supported me as I made some decisions over what to buy and what to plant. I was able to choose some seeds that I could plant in the space that I had and that I would have the right conditions for. While I was at the garden centre, I also bought some of the other things that I would need to get started. Together, we choose compost and some containers - and we also picked up a shovel and some plant food. I was then ready to get growing.
I was so keen to get started, that I got set up right away. I didn’t want to miss one moment of growing time! I filled all of the pots with compost, and put them into the best position for growth.
I planted potatoes, tomatoes and peppers and watched in anticipation for the first shoots to appear. It didn’t take long for the first shoots to arrive and my excitement intensified. It wouldn’t be long until my veg was here! I could not wait to harvest them and cook up a tasty meal from the fruits of my labour.
Every day, I checked my veg and watered them. I would sit in my garden in the sunshine and I would even measure how much they grew! I would talk to my family and friends about my veg. In fact, I would talk to anyone who would listen. Before I knew it, my veg had grown in abundance. There was so much luscious ripe veg that I had to think really hard how I could use it all!
Vibrant Veggies
My enablers supported me to make soups, stews, salads and pastas and they were all delicious. Obviously, it’s because I was the chef too of course. I peeled the spuds for the stew and cleaned up afterwards too! Next year, I am going to add lettuce and courgettes to my list of greens to grow. Who knows, the following year I may even grow my own Christmas dinner!
