Green Shoots. Healthy Eats.

I hope you are experiencing a much-needed increase in temperatures and you are finding the stretch in the evenings revitalising and invigorating. If you are already a committed gardener, you might be delighting in the first shoots of new growth. If you haven’t turned a sod or filled a container for some time and you are considering doing so, I highly recommend that you do. It’s never too late to start.

You can pick up a bag of organic compost from your local independent garden centre. You may already have the contents of a compost bin in your garden waiting to be put to some use. There are few things more satisfying than taking the well-rotted compost, perhaps mixing with some dry organic bagged growing material, filling a few containers and sprinkling over some salad seeds and reaping leaves of fresh, green, aromatic bounty in just a few weeks.

Try easy to grow plants like mustard, cress or rocket. These are great for blending into a wholefood diet. Pick up a packet of chickpeas, green lentils or quinoa from your local health store. Cook with a little vegetable stock and add a generous amount of your home grown chopped greens as it cools with a dash of nice quality olive oil. Simple and nutritious dishes that incorporate your home-grown crops are easy and delicious.

Many health food shops are now stocking the Irish Seed Savers range. These offer wonderful heritage varieties of your favourite plants. Check out Fiann O’Nualláin, www.theholisticgardener.com, for great ideas about bringing mind, body and spirit to your gardening. Vivienne Campbell, www.theherbalhub.com, has wonderful advice and ideas about combining selective plant growing and foraging to bring fresh plants to your table, that can offer restorative and healing additions to your diet.

Both Fiann and Vivienne will be joining with independent health food stores to bring a sustainable element to www.vitalityexpo.ie at the RDS in September. Tickets, including early bird offers, will be available soon. Contact your local independent health store or click on the website to keep updated.

If you can’t get down to growing your own remember that many health food shops stock an increasing range of locally grown fresh vegetables. Find out their vegetable delivery days and stock up with the best and freshest foods you can buy. Your local health store will be happy to advise you with recipe ideas, store cupboard essentials, healthy and fortifying seasonings and accompanying staples to bring a joyous wholefood experience to your table. You can trust us.

Mary Wedel, Health Stores Ireland Chair.