Getting Through Winter

Well, that’s said and done now!

When the sun is out in mid-July and the site is bustling with people because we are running an event, or even on the quietest of summer days, when I have often found myself on site alone, locking the place up, I have a niggling feeling about the approaching cold winter months and how we get through them, with little gardening work for us to do. How do we make ourselves attractive when the ground is too frozen for a fork and the wind chill factor has decreased the temperature to somewhere between, “Only a cuppa can save you” and “I cannot feel my toes!”

Well, this cold weather season seemed to fly by! I remember last year, cooking soup at home and bringing it in for our Wednesday sessions.  Another volunteer would (and still does), bake bread each week for us to share. However, this year we have placed a lot more onus on the group learning important cookery skills. We have tried to ensure that somebody different is in the kitchen each week, so much so that now, I need to ask, “Who made the soup this week?” before delivering my expert analysis of what’s in it. I am generally right on the nose when I say, “Veggies!” as my single word weekly report!

As the weeks turned colder, we cleared up the site, an annual task. The local charity shops are always a good supplier of our weekly quiz.  Each week, there is always an impressive answer from either Scott, Richard or Markus, often quiet for the day until quiz time.  I love a quiz personally, it’s probably just me that likes it, if I’m honest! After all gardening tasks had petered out and we were turning up in those super chilly winter weeks, extra harsh in the city as we are directly between the two icy water flows of the Humber and the Hull, we turned our hand to the remainder of our produce.

The honey yielded around 150 jars and was sold out in a few days as usual. It gets some great reviews but remains elusive to the wider world due to its high demand. That Dragon’s Den lot would not be happy with our honey-based business model; after all, it’s about sustainability not profitability for us.

Next, in early November, we made chutney. It smelled good, and the cooker’s heat made for a cosy couple of sessions. It should be ready around now (March), can’t wait to try that on Scot’s home made bread!

It’s strange how I have come to rely on a community and even though I am not that local, it certainly does not feel that way when we share a prepared meal together. There’s a certain chemistry involved in the shared eating experience that many of us are in danger of forgetting. We have some great chats around the table on a Wednesday and the community spirit shared amongst the women’s group (they meet on Thursdays from mid April) can only be attributed to that same Rooted in Hull warmth that hopes to bring the best out of us.

Finally, we used the leftover bee’s wax to make candles.

I don’t remember having to invent a program of winter activities, I never got around to it.  Before I knew it, the daffodils surrounded us and we were planting spuds. Just like that, we are through the winter without realising we were “getting through” anything!

Looking forward to another season of growing people and food!