ISLAND LIFE

Home made jam is practically a currency when you live in the country. But the jam jars butted up to the mismatched jars of preserved fruits and vegetables stacked up in Nathalie Laurence’s pantry are also her second savings account.

We’re in the depths of winter and this Ranelagh micro gardener is tucked up by an open fire and hooking into apricots she preserved two years ago.

“That’s what it’s all about for me — storing the harvest so I can hibernate in winter and not have to rely on the shops for everything.”

She still needs tap water and sugar and salt for her preserving, but she’s becoming more and more self-sufficient.

And just knowing that gives her a bit of a buzz.

“It’s a really good feeling,” she says. “It feels nice to subvert the economy.”

When she moved into her 1950s Ranelagh farmhouse three years ago, she inherited a partly established garden that she’s expanded on.

It is bigger than most home gardens but not as big as a market garden.

The plots blend order and chaos and are a mix of flowers and herbs and fruits and vegetables, with some self-sown surprises as well.

She says growing her own food has been quite addictive.

“You get into the cycle of growing it, eating it or preserving it so you can eat it later,” she says.

Having enough spare to share encourages both bartering and kindness.

“The natural generosity of gardeners is a wonderful thing,” she says.

“They may not cost much to make, but they are gestures of love and time that never go unappreciated.”

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