IT’SAWONDERFULWORLD
Your article on the soporific qualities of lettuce in the September issue reminded me of the tale my mother told.
In 1952 she was heavily pregnant. The weather had been scorching, and on a beautiful summer’s evening, she was content to sit in the garden, enjoying the last of the day’s sun, and the cool of the evening air after the rest of the family had gone to bed.
Mother noticed some lettuce growing nearby and ate one. Then another… then some more. When the whole row (10 plants) had gone, she decided to go to bed. She often said that it was the best night’s sleep she had enjoyed since becoming pregnant. However, that sleep was interrupted in the early hours and I was safely delivered at 06.30 the following morning.
It was a long time before my mother told my father the truth about the lettuces, but he really didn’t mind – he said it was a fair price to pay for a baby daughter, and he had suspected the local rabbits!
My father was justly proud of his garden and instilled that love of gardening in me. Sixty-five healthy years on, and I love my garden and allotment. I still grow the lettuce variety which my father grew and my mother introduced me to: ‘Webb’s Wonderful’.