In it for the long run 🍇

Let me tell you about the young grapevine I’ve been mulching this week…

When a mighty storm tore our polytunnel out of the ground in 2024, we salvaged some of the structure and made a mini pagoda. We planted four cuttings from my (Rita) papa’s vine — and his vine came from a cutting in Calabria, Italy, where I picked grapes as a child. 🍇

Its name is uva fragola, or strawberry grape in English. Although it is often grown for wine, it is also moreishly sweet enough to enjoy as a table grape.

Now our children, Luna and Aurelius, will pick and eat from our vine too, licking the juice off their little, grubby, sticky fingers just as I did. Even when a plant or tree is not yet producing enough for our veg box scheme, we still harvest what we can for ourselves — and enjoy the fruits of our labour. 🌿