Down to earth Christianity: Getting our hands dirty

A BIT OF EARTH:
A year in the garden with God
By Andrea G. Burke
Lexham Press. 258 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978 1 683 597 421

I guess that part of our affinity with gardening is due to where we all come from. Human beings were first created from the stuff of the soil; we are all a combination of dust and glory. Adam the first man was a gardener, and we have been cultivating the earth ever since.

My wife and I have had an allotment for the last decade. It is good exercise and ensures a steady supply of fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year. Summer raspberries, courgettes and beans; potatoes, leeks and Swiss chard for most of the year, and Brussels sprouts and parsnips for Christmas Day.