Autumn might be the season of abundance, but there’s a limit to what you can do with daily deliveries of courgettes the size of police truncheons
Autumn arrives, flaunting its abundance, and on my many friends’ allotments branches bend under the weight of their fruit. Accordingly, my front step fills with gifts. There are supermarket carrier bags stuffed with gnarly apples and pears. There are cardboard boxes overflowing with runner beans or courgettes the size of police truncheons. I look upon this mottled crop with appropriate feelings of gratitude. To my friends and neighbours, I say thank you.
Deep inside me, however, there is something else: a profound sense of inadequacy, a feeling that I am not quite made for these times. Because what the hell am I supposed to do with it all? Do not, for a moment, misunderstand me. I am not in any way anti-allotment. I recognise the profound pleasure they give to those who have them. They are a superb educational tool and the work involved is brilliant for both physical fitness and mental wellbeing.
Before you know it, you’re pouring chutney on to your cereal or smearing it on the cat
Related: Where's the best place to find out who your real friends are? The kitchen
Continue reading...