Sharing Your Crops

[Stimw]

I have about 15-20 people that I routinely give away crops from my garden to. It's amazing how happy people are to get fresh produce. I have even met some of my neighbors by just asking if they would like some tomatos or cucumbers or what ever I have coming in at the time.
With the tough times it's even more important to share. I also take things up to the local firehouse. I was told that the firemen have to pay for their own food so I'm sure every bit helps.
I also share with a couple police officers in my area.
One friend will take extras that I have to his mothers retirement building. He said he puts the produce in a box in the common area and it will be gone before he returns with his mother to go out!

 

[schmism]

we usully like to get a few bucks for ours... even an dollar or 2 but most of the time we end up giving more than half away.

 

[Uncle Doug]

We have a larger garden this year than normal. My daughter wanted us to plant several things that she likes but we don't care much for. Then she up and moves about 10 miles away. While we do save a few things for her we end up giving most away to friends. It is a great way to say thanks for being there for us over the years.

While we were out of town one of the men from our church came by to feed the animals and water the garden. When we returned we carried a basket of fresh produce over to him.

Our church also has a community garden. Members can have thier own section but are expected to help out in the rest of the garden. It is about 4 times as large as my garden. Produce is given to some of the elderly and neady at the church. I try to get by 2-3 times a week to water and pick. We then take it all along with any of our produce we have extra of to the church on Sundays.

My wife is not into canning as she was raised a city girl. She says at her age now its much easier to buy what you need, when you need it. In our case the garden is a hobby which we enjoy and share the fruits of our labor with friends.

 

[Bird]

Down in Navarro County, we always had a big garden, and even though we had a freezer and my wife did a lot of canning, we had far more than we could use. I never found a market for selling much to the local stores and I had no desire to sit out in the heat all day as a vendor at the farmers market, so we gave it away. We had neighbors that we invited to come pick their own and I also picked a lot that we took to other people. And a few times, we filled the back end of the Escort station wagon with produce, came to Dallas, and took it all to the office where our youngest daughter worked, for her to take what she wanted and let her co-workers help themselves. She said all of it always disappeared before the day was over.

 

[DUMBDOG]

Considering the investment in land, equipment and time each year, we do sell at the farmers market, not enough to get rich off of, but enought to provide some spending money.

 

[charlz]

I intentionally 'over grow' and take stuff to the main foodbank. I get a receipt and write it off on my taxes. I get back enough to cover fuel, seed and maybe some hoses etc.

The main foodbank has all the refrigerators etc. and lots of other agencies (small foodbanks, rescue missions, soup kitchens) coming through. I'm pretty sure the food actually gets eaten versus just rotting in someones refrigerator.

 

[Western]

I intentionally 'over grow' and take stuff to the main foodbank. I get a receipt and write it off on my taxes. I get back enough to cover fuel, seed and maybe some hoses etc.

The main foodbank has all the refrigerators etc. and lots of other agencies (small foodbanks, rescue missions, soup kitchens) coming through. I'm pretty sure the food actually gets eaten versus just rotting in someones refrigerator.

Now that's a good idea all the way around

 

[dmccarty]

I bring in stuff to work. Right now my coworkers are eating lots of cukes. I think they might be getting sick of cukes. But there will be more cukes.

Later,
Dan

 

[CAB/AIR5225]

I do the same thing. I bring tomatoes, okra, whatever is ready. People at work always ask me how much they owe me. I just say "I take donations to cover fuel, fertilizer, etc."....I can "sell" to co-workers cheaper than they can buy it in the store, AND its fresh. Everyone loves a good homegrown tomatoe!

 

[rcrcomputing]

I bring in stuff to work. Right now my coworkers are eating lots of cukes. I think they might be getting sick of cukes. But there will be more cukes.

Later,
Dan

ROTFLMAO

To much of a "good" thing?? hehe

 

[schmism]

funny you say that about the cukes....

we have one TINNY row of cukes no more than 8' long that has kept us buried in cukes!

my green beans got ate early just as they were starting to produce and died so im on my second planting and my pole beans i planted with the first are takeing FOREVER to come in for some reason

 

[Groo]

Ma n' Pa used to sell some of it at a farmers market, but it it just wasn't worth it. they were making less than minimum wage selling the produce just sitting behind the table, not counting growing and harvesting. My aunt and Uncle help out in the garden plenty, so do some other friends. there are usualy enough people to dump the produce on from the helpers and close friends, what little is left, turns into deer bait when the fence is opened up in the fall.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I sell a few buckets a week of squash and green beans to local restaurants. The other day a man and woman down the road stopped by and asked about working in the yard for work because they were out of work for now. They both gave me a list of jobs they couldnt do and I didnt have anything for them. I told them I had plenty of vegetables and they told me where they lived. I went down there with a 5 gallon buket of squash and one of zuccini and a buccket of okra and one of green beans. and a few cuccumber. I told them Id be back in a few days to get my buckets and about a week later I passed by and saw my buckets out by the road. I stopped and went to pick them up. They still full of allthe veggies on in a rotted state. the folks came out and told me they didnt want to snap the beans or cut okra and so forth but they would take cxash donations and gift cards. I had to leave I felt my face the red hot.

 

[Bird]

told me they didnt want to snap the beans or cut okra and so forth but they would take cxash donations and gift cards

Yep, I've met a few folks like that. Fortunately, they're in the minority. Or at least I hope they are.

 

[scott_vt]

I never found a market for selling much to the local stores and I had no desire to sit out in the heat all day as a vendor at the farmers market, so we gave it away. We had neighbors that we invited to come pick their own and I also picked a lot that we took to other people..

Good Evenin Bird,
Quite often in our area of Vt and also many locations of upstate Ny just across the border farmers have roadside stands. They list all the prices of their produce and your on the honor system to pay for what you take ! I love that system and Kathleen and I allways leave a bit extra whenever we get some fresh veggies, its kind of a time gone by, but its reminescent of the way things used to be all over !

Unfortunately if we did that where I am in Ct you would be broke pretty quick !

 

[Bird]

Scotty, we also had one place like that about 2 miles from our place. Of course he was on a farm-to-market paved road. Even so, I don't think there was enough traffic for him to sell much. But we were on a county road. The pavement ended just past our driveway and even the pavement in front of our house was not wide enough for two vehicles to meet and pass without one or both getting off in the grass. Our newspaper carrier and our mail carrier turned around in our driveway, and on many days that was the only vehicles we saw. There were only 2 other homes for which the owners might have passed by our house, but they could come in from the other direction and usually did. Then in the early spring, the road just past our house was usually closed anyway due to flooding. If we'd been on a road with any traffic, I'd have fixed up a roadside stand myself.