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Get your own - Open publication

Seasonal Eating - in Season in September

Growing your own food is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint and at the same time enjoy fresh, organic produce. It can bring down your weekly food costs and help your family connect to the earth and each other.

Many of us have herb gardens on our balconies or back deck and know from experience that we use our herbs much more often when they are only steps away. Lettuce can also be easily grown in containers within easy reach from the kitchen. Having your plants in containers can make it possible to move them around to suit the conditions as well.

Lettuce is easy to grow, being mostly water they need plenty of water and raised beds prevent root rot. Enrich soil with organic matter and well-rotted animal manure. This will provide plenty of nitrogen, which all leafy vegetables need. If grown in pots all they need is a good potting mix. Have fun picking a good mix of greens, the many kinds of lettuce can give you a beautiful container garden with a vast array of colour.

Lettuce is fat free and low calorie. It is a valuable source of vitamin A and folic acid. Lactucarium is a mild opiate that is found in all types of lettuce. Which is why both the Romans and Egyptians ate their lettuce at the end of a meal, to help induce sleep.

Having fresh lettuce on hand will make it easy to add more greens to your families diet. In his latest book In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan points out what we already know but often forget; our diet should be comprised of mostly of plants and the majority of that should be leafy.

Once you have your lettuce happily growing outside the back door, it is a good idea to have things on hand to make up a simple yet interesting salad. Recipes are not really needed for everyday eating, just experiment with different combinations and see what tastes nice together.

I like to keep olives, sun dried tomatoes, dried fruit and artichokes in the pantry to complement the fresh seasonal vegies. Add a bit of cheese, nuts, egg or beans and you have a complete meal. Keeping your pantry stocked and a few bits and pieces in your fridge is an easy way to give a bit of variety to your salads.

Michele Dennis.