Security vs Sovereignty

Posted by Kirsten Gibbs
Last updated 14th October 2019
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  • A supermarket gives me courgette security.  I can buy courgettes all year round, any day of the week.   They'll always be the same size, ripeness and quality.  This comes at a cost of course.  Supermarket courgettes are always priced at the out-of-season level, even when there is a glut in my allotment.

    My allotment gives me courgette sovereignty.  I can grow as few or as many as I like.  I can grow whatever varieties I choose, provided I can give them the conditions they need.  This comes at a cost of course.  I have to spend time preparing the soil, weeding and watering  to give them the conditions they need.

    Which option you choose depends on how much you value their side-effects.

    The supermarket option is convenient, freeing up time to do other things.  On the other hand, those all-year-round courgettes are grown under plastic which ends up in the soil; in an arid part of Spain, which depletes the local water supply; and are picked by migrants, who live in virtual slavery.

    The allotment option involves exercise, fresh air, and the satisfaction of doing it yourself.  On the other hand, I have to pay rent, keep it looking neat, and after all my hard work, I may not get any courgettes.

    But when I do, I'll really enjoy them.

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