Today’s blog is getting posted a bit late. I have spent the morning making signs to erect in my yard, to give away my excess organic produce. What was I thinking, when I planted four different colors of bell peppers? I am one person with a small appetite and cannot begin to use them all. Last year I made tomato soup, tomato sauce, and marinara sauce from my abundance of tomatoes; but with dwindling energy and no ambition to can or to freeze, I find that sharing is the way to go. Since I am living in the center of a small town, next to one of the busiest street corners, it seems like the right thing to do.
When I was living in a small town in rural Virginia, I would often walk through town and notice that some of the residents set a table up next to the road, offering their surplus produce to passersby. Some of them had a price list next to the vegetables and simply trusted that people would pay for what they took. I had imagined for a long time that when I reached old age, I would sit at the street corner during rush hour and sell organic flower bouquets. This summer, I have realized that I really prefer not to cut my flowers. I grow them to create habitat for butterflies, bees, numerous pollinators, and hummingbirds. If I cut them, I will be radically reducing the food and shelter sources for those species that I have set out to attract.
I do not have a lot of produce since my passion is growing flowers; but all the same, there is no point letting it go to waste. There are hungry people out there and hungry children. If I can help out just a little bit and if it is well received, perhaps next summer I will grow more just to give away. Organic produce is expensive at the store so I know that what I give is even better than other commodities that they can get for free. While I could charge for my offerings, I will only provide a jar for any donations that may be offered. Eventually, I will be able to sell organic eggs, but my chickens will not begin laying until the middle of October at the earliest. Most likely, they won’t start laying until next spring. During these uncertain times, I have never been more thankful for my love of gardening.
