More and more friends told me about their efforts to grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit as well as to produce jam or syrup, as they raved about the satisfaction that comes with enjoying your own organic produce. This year I decided to give it a try.

Since spring, basil, parsley, lemon and tangerine trees crowd my small balcony. I simply put some seeds of the fruit into tiny plant pots, watered them regularly and keep them inside until the warm season. And they did thrive and prosper!

I am mostly proud of the juicy cherry tomatoes with such a delicious taste. There is no comparison to ordinary tomatoes from the supermarket, which often taste like water. Furthermore, taking care of plants is a great feeling and it is a pleasure to spice your Italian dish with the fresh basil and tomatoes from your ‘garden’!

Let me give you some nutritional information as well. Parsley, for example, has three times as much vitamin C as oranges and twice as much iron as spinach. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, E and C and in flavonoids, magnesium, iron and calcium. Along with peppers, red beet and carrots, they are believed to help prevent cancer. Moreover, tomatoes are said to have a good effect on your mood!

Perhaps you still get a chance to partake in the fruit harvest this autumn. There are endless varieties of jams to produce from it. Plum with cinnamon, strawberries with rhubarb or simply made from brambles are all possible flavours.

You could also go for the elder berries to make juice or syrup. They hold a lot of vitamin C and the highest amount of selenium among all fruits. We need selenium to fight free radicals and to protect the cells in our bodies. It is advised to drink hot elder juice when you have a cold to lower the fever.

SHARE A GARDEN

If you don’t happen to have a garden nearby, you can start with using your balcony or window boards. Many communes also rent allotment gardens - friends of mine rent their 30 square meters for ten Euros per year. It might be a good idea to look for like-minded students to share the work.

Depending on the seed and soil you buy or get, you will have organic vegetables without fertilizers and artificial flavours. Another positive side effect not to be neglected is, of course, the physical exercise and fresh air you get when working the patch or flower box. Flowers go well, too. In fact, both home-grown flowers and jam can make for original presents. What about some sunflowers, tulips, begonia, roses,…?

As autumn has set in well already, there is still the possibility to cultivate lettuce, radish and cabbage – for the vitamins A, B, C and K, potassium and trace minerals. They grow quickly and can bear the cold. Doctors recommend lettuce in times of stress or if you have trouble sleeping through the night.

VEGGIE BAG

An easier option to get your daily portion of vitamins, micro and mineral nutrients is the K.U.Leuven Veggie Bag. On Mondays, K.U.Leuven students can pick up a surprise package of organic, seasonal and locally grown fruits and vegetables. They are delivered to several stops in Leuven; and this for a fair price of five Euros – more info to be found on the K.U.Leuven website.

I am still not sure whether I really got the green thumb or not. For that to prove, I will wait until next year to see if I can make it happen again. Besides, the parsley looks pretty pale these days… |