Over the past few weeks, I have been trading vegetables with various folks who also have gardens. I have somehow stumbled into this world of growing and trading fruits and vegetables, a culture that I was never aware of until now. Finally, I'm able to offer more than the various ways I try and keep the weeds from strangling my lilies. It's an interesting culture, this fruit and vegetable trade and barter system. I can even see how this may have started in ancient civilizations and grew into a huge system of trading. But now, we go to the supermarket to buy all kinds of items, including the ones we can easily and inexpensively grow ourselves.
About trading vegetables - I grow cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, two kinds of hot peppers, mint, parsley and basil. I have traded for cucumbers, corn, onions, lettuce, and beefsteak tomatoes. With a little investment of time, I feel like I can get a few more folks together and basically start a mini vegetable co-op. I mean, how many cherry tomatoes can I possibly eat? (I'll let you know at the end of the growing season - right now I'm averaging about 20 a day) ;)
I'm sure people already do this - I imagine it like a book club. You meet up, have some coffee, discuss a book and walk away with a bag full of vegetables. And by doing so, you can probably save the time of at least one trip a week to the grocery store, a few bucks on your grocery bill, a few pounds along your waistline, and a few points on your carbon footprint.
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