Will work for food

If living in a metropolis means that I can�t grow my own vegetables, writes Jaana Nykenen what’s the next best thing?
In central London, there are no allotments, and the council-owned ones nearby have waiting lists of up to several years. If you have your own garden you can grow some vegetables, and even in a flat there are unexpected opportunities.
Homegrown
Having a balcony is a great advantage, and some herbs could even call a kitchen windowbox their home. An onion can start to grow if it has a little water, and the green tops can be cut into salads and soups, or to spice up a sandwich.

Sprouts are ideal for home-growing and very nutritious too. Good seeds and pulses to start with include alfalfa, mungbeans and lentils.
If you live near a big park or a canal, you can of course go out and pick berries, mushrooms and other edibles during the summer and autumn months. Instead of getting annoyed with the nettles in your local building lot, you can use them for a delicious soup! Dandelions can also be a great addition in your cooking, the tender green leaves can be used in a salad, and the flowers can be used for making your own wine.

Even if you manage to turn your city center apartment into a greenhouse, or to scavenge the local parks, you will probably need to get some food from elsewhere once in a while. Use local stores, and sometimes you can ask for special deals or barter something they want for a meal.

Don�t go to the supermarkets, unless its for dumpster diving. There are local farmers who come into the city themselves with their produce, and �Farmer�s markets� are growing everywhere. You can find an amazing variety of food in the markets, and everything is seasonal and locally produced. Some are organic or even biodynamic. Its pricey - until the end of the day when they sell everything off at half the marked price, and because it is such high quality food its nutritionally better value for money.

There is an alternative to K-Mart after all.