Derren Litten

We have a cherry tree in the garden of our rented house and a few weeks ago our neighbours asked what we were going to do with the cherries when they were ripe. I thought they were joking. Did they mean we were going to actually have cherries growing off the tree? I thought cherries came from… dunno… M&S? Anyway, the cherries did appear and as Ian (next door) said he made jam with last years crop (is it a 'crop'? it can't a 'harvest' I think that has something to do with God) I picked them off the tree and handed over a big mixing bowl full to the brim. At best I thought I might get my mixing bowl back sometime before Christmas but I certainly didn't expect the huge pot of cherry jam that came back with it the next day (today). So this morning I had jam on my toast, jam made with cherries from our garden!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how liberating the shift to total self sufficiency has been, it has amazed me. No more trips the supermarket, no more additives, no more e-numbers, no more queues! I feel like Tom out of 'The Good Life'; what next? Nettle wine? Hemp clothing? The possibilities are endless! Mind you, I'm not exactly sure if Ian or his wife can actually make nettle wine or hemp clothing. Christ alive, what if he's a one trick pony and can only make jam? How am I going to save the planet like that? Hmmm… this needs thinking through a bit more. In the meantime I'd better get on Tesco.com, I don't want all the evening slots for Friday delivery to be snapped up again.