The Edible Bus Stop and a harvest-time tart

One of my favourite London grassroots projects is the Edible Bus Stop, a project which grows food on patches of waste land by bus stops in south London. So I'm pleased to see they're expanding beyond the original two bus stops in Stockwell and West Norwood. Brixton, Clapham Common and Crystal Palace are next. They are starting with the 322 bus route, but other bits of the transport network are on the cards. This weekend they're holding a harvest celebration in Stockwell. There's plenty to celebrate.

It started off as a guerilla gardening project and has gone on to win recognition and awards. I love the idea that a group of volunteers have transformed some derelict land into something attractive and productive. The benefits are numerous - exercise, community spirit,  nicer-looking neighbourhoods, fresh fruit and veg... Three cheers, I say.

In celebration of this, here's an easy harvest recipe. It looks smart but doesn't take too long. If your own harvest includes tomatoes but not courgettes, or vice versa, you can just include one of them.

Tomato and courgette tart


Slice a couple of courgettes the thickness of a couple of pound coins, toss the slices in a little olive oil, and roast in a medium hot oven for about 10 minutes or until just softened. Meanwhile, take a couple of good handfuls of cherry tomatoes and slice in half. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry. Spread with pesto (shop-bought is fine), leaving a narrow border round the edge. Then arrange the courgette slices and tomato halves - if you take a minute to do this in neat rows it will look much better. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the pastry and courgettes are cooked. You can sprinkle with some rocket or shavings of parmesan, if you like.