Inherited by my father from my uncle Eddie, it was a 1/2 acre plot of land that lay fallow behind a tin roofed cottage and small outhouse in the town land of 'Carmegrim' on the Largy road,that runs parallel to the river Bann and overlooking south Derry, the Sperrin mountain range and the continuum of setting suns.
The cottage had been lived in by an old couple to me, Joe and Mary Mc Goldrick but who would have been good life long friends to my father and later my mother when they married and we lived just down road from them.Later we moved into a new council house near to town,with running water and electricity.
I can't remember Mary but do remember Joe as he too moved and lived with friends of ours down the town and would toddle up for a visit, usually bringing a bag of ice lollies.Later we'd visit him and bring a plug or two of tobacco for his pipe when he moved to a nursing home near Carrickfergus by the sea.
Of Mary i do remember my mother telling us she'd kept an area fenced off for the nettles (probably to protect them from a rooting pig) to make nettle soup in spring as it was great as a blood cleanser and tonic.
Mary, Joe and my parents are all now gone,the cottage and land sold and living a new history.However they left enough seeds and grains to inspire me in my spring dig and to appreciate the sense of learning, the labour of love and the role of tradition in the year my dad brought Joe's garden back to life for one glorious season.
We ate well from his joy, i don't think anything failed on him, and the potatoes were stored in a pit to last through winter, a method of storage that had largely died out,(unless well constructed and looked after you can loose a good few spuds to natures toll), but proves sensible for those without enough indoor storage space.
The greens didn't need much to help them on the plate,carrots awed forked, twisted and straight,peas were picked popped and ate on the spot, all vegetables grown well able to befit any harvest festival.
Relations, friends and old neighbours took time to help or stop for a chat, it's amazing the sense of community a garden brings.
We'd happily pile into the car and be transported into a new world, spilling out for a planting, weeding or thinning session, doing our best as teenagers and young ones at various ages do.
Green fingers are nurtured, a simple plant will do, time and space needn't be great, a windowsill box or a pot on the step is a start and is bigger and better than nothing.
Nb. When collecting nettles forget the bravado and use a gloved hand, pluck the top few leaves, wash before use, after cooking they won't sting.
Nettle soup.
Ingredients.
Two good handfuls of nettle tops
1lb 454gms potatoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 leek chopped finely
1 stick celery chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, or if you forage a few leaves of wild garlic/ ramps
1 1/2 pts, 800ml chicken or veg stock
2oz, 50gm butter
salt and pepper.
Method
Melt the butter fry the onion leek and garlic until soft, add the potatoes and stock,season with salt and pepper,bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes are soft about 20 Min's, add the nettle tops and cook for further 5mins, check the seasoning again and adjust, remove from the heat either liquidise or eat as a broth.
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