Farming Experience in London: Grow Your Own...

Do you ever wander around the supermarket, browsing the back of packets and wondering what exactly goes into the food that you eat every day? You’re not alone, which is why so many people go for the organic option, trusting that it will be environment friendly and chemical free. The only problem is that organic food is much more expensive (especially when you’re paying for fewer ingredients in your food) and there’s still no guarantee of what you’re eating and where it’s been.

Recently, farming lessons are becoming increasingly popular, especially in huge cities such as London where many people have never touched a pig, let alone reared one! There are London city farms which open their gates to the public to help people understand what it is that they’re eating and where it comes from and even gives them some inspiration for how to produce some of their own food rather than solely eating food which comes in packets and trays.

Vegetables, Gardening and Self Sufficiency

Before you find tears in the corners of your eyes at the thought of raising chickens from tiny fluffy chicks and then looking into their eyes as you kill and pluck them, you don’t have to take such a dramatic step to be self sufficient! Farmers understand that most people who live in London don’t have acres of land to work with, which is why city farms like Hackney City Farm near Bethnal Green tube station offer an organic gardening course and low-impact living course. With only a very small plot of land – or even creative use of a window box – you can cut down on your expenses and grow healthy, fresh vegetables and fruit. The organic gardening course will give you experience of the perfect soil conditions, planting and harvesting practice over a period of ten weeks. The low-impact living course lasts one or two days and gives you a range of much more general hints and tips to help you save money and help the environment, such as teaching students to make their own soap and bio diesel. Finally, if you’re feeling particularly daring, Hackney City Farm can even teach you how to keep bees for the extremely satisfying purpose of making your own honey.

Animal Husbandry and Horse Riding

If you’re more interested in having some furry friends than gardening, many London farms are open to the public to see their animals and learn what it takes to correctly care for them. Some give you the chance to help out for a day, which is a great opportunity to keep your family busy at the weekend while you milk the cows and herd the chickens. There are obviously limits to what you can keep in your garden, but the farmers can give you guidance on keeping small animals like ducks or chickens if you have the space for them and particularly forgiving neighbours!

For something a little larger, one of the many livery stables around London might be of interest, where you can pay to have access to a horse for a certain amount of time a week. Farms like Mudchute allow you up to ten hours a week for only £65, during which you can exercise, groom and tack up your horse. They also offer riding lessons for all ages and all levels of ability, including an extremely popular Absolute Beginner class which runs for six weeks with an hour a week.

Farming courses in London attract a range of people from lots of backgrounds, from those who are simply interested in how the food they eat is reared and killed, to those who are considering living The Good Life and becoming completely self sufficient. At the very least, with animal husbandry classes or organic gardening lessons, you’re guaranteed to be inspired to provide for yourself and save a little extra money in your food budget. Your carrots may curve in weak spirals and your potatoes may be green, but there’s not comparable feeling to the satisfaction of cooking and growing your own.

Information about Hackney City Farm can be found at this site: http://www.hackneycityfarm.co.uk/.

Teaser image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonythemisfit/.

Sam is a freelance article writer who lives and works in the UK and specialises in creative writing and fiction.