Pennsylvania Buy Fresh Buy Local

When Your Garden's Bounty Overwhelms

7/29/2009 11:57am

If you're a gardener you might find yourself in this situation at this time of year: having too much of a good thing.  We've all heard stories of baskets of zucchini left on neighbors' porches (you might even be a guilty party!).  And the folks at the Easton Farmers Market have a creative outlet for the annual squash glut: their annual Zucchini 500 race.

Here are a few more options to explore when your garden's on overdrive:

AmpleHarvest.org is a website where you can search for a nearby food pantry that will accept donations of fresh produce.  From the site: "Most food pantries can provide only canned vegetables and fruit to their clients.  AmpleHarvest.org enables your neighbors in need to get garden fresh produce that might otherwise be wasted."

The Farmer's Garden is another website that encourages sharing of excess garden produce.  You need to register (for free) to post a classified ad to sell, trade or give away your surplus backyard produce. Individuals and food pantries can also register to post wanted classifieds.  But anyone can search the ads without registering.  This national site is pretty new, and there is not much activity from PA -- yet.

If you have another idea for what to do with your bothersome bounty, please share by posting a comment.

Comments (1)

  • Carmen Phillips said.. This is GREAT. I had been thinking that this year I would try to set up something in my development, a coordinated effort to get people to plant a garden and donate half of it to local food banks. But More..
    I just never got it going.

    Glad to know options like these exist.

    8/4/09 @ 1:04pm

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