Nothing beats homegrown vegetables

Growing Your Own

#smilingontheinside – Tuesday 10 June 2025

Back in the day, when my inlaws were fit, healthy and still living at home, I remember Erina telling me once that in fifty-something years, she’d only ever bought potatoes (from a grocer) once. That was the year blight got to her crop and she needed to buy-in.

Gardening was her thing. My Hero grew up on half an acre of which a significant portion was a dedicated vegetable garden. One of Erina’s joys, was being able to serve up loving-cooked and grown, healthy meals for her family.

Although probably just what people did back then it was still a surprise to me when I first met my inlaw family. Growing up in the centre of London with no garden – there people who were interested in gardening had allotments – I’d only ever known fruit and vegetables brought from barrowmen at the market.

I can only but imagine what a sense of accomplishment and achievement, providing meals for seven people (mum, dad + five kids) must’ve felt like – from what you’d grown yourself – must’ve felt like. Pretty powerful and addictive, I’d imagine… provided you were appreciated, of course. And I know that she most very definitely was!

Diminishing Flavour

I hadn’t realised just how much I’d gotten used to potatoes that had very little flavour until Erina’s home-grown potatoes reminded me. The first time I ate one of Erina’s potatoes the flavour just exploded in my mouth. And reminded me of how vegetables used to taste.

I’d started to notice carrots were becoming bland and flavourless.

And when it comes to pumpkins, I only ever bought the little green buttercup squash variety because crown grey pumpkins had long lost their flavour.

Pumpkins for Pigs

When I was living and working in the UK, during autumn, I offered to make pumpkin soup for the couple I was living with. They thought I was crazy – pumpkins were fed to the pigs!

The greengrocer also thought I was crazy when I told him I was making it into soup. He was expecting me to tell him I was doing something for Halloween.

I should’ve been suspicious when I started cutting into the pumpkin that it was just too easy. Like cutting into butter. Man! The soup was awful – just a runny, orange watery bowl of nothing! No wonder everyone thought I was crazy!

Harvest Time 2025

I jumped at the opportunity of accepting a couple of homegrown pumpkins and potatoes at the weekend, when offered by one of my wonderful (green fingered) sisters-in-law. I knew we were in for a delicious treat!

Not only were the pumpkins and potatoes home grown, but they were grown as organically as possible. Yum!

Last night’s dinner was roasted vegetables + chicken – I was definitely #smilingontheinside.

My World Today

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Here’s to generous, beautiful, sisters-in-law…

Here’s to homegrown vegetables…

Here’s to honouring all gardeners who provide for their families!

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Here’s to SmilingOnTheInside!