During the busy summer harvest , we need to go on to remember that we do n’t need to do it all ourselves . Swappingis a great way to unlade excess produce from your garden while gaining food you were n’t able to grow yourself . But it ’s also important to stay affiliated to your community during this sentence — not only to keep you from swim in that pile of zucchini , but because community members can extend you emotional backup to help you plow through the maturate season .
We bed the harvest time season is busy , so here are some way to integrate your friends and neighbour into your harvest home activities .
1. Glean Neighbors’ Unharvested Trees and Gardens
Is there a yield Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree you glide by in townspeople that every twelvemonth give way unpicked ? Knock on that door and offer your harvesting skills . Many times we ’ve encounter that the owner might be elderly and no longer able to pick the fruit and is thrilled to have someone utilize what otherwise go to wasteland . Offer to both harvest and share some of the fruit if they ’re interested , or better yet , bring the yield back in apie .
2. Share Wild Edibles
Got blackberries , nettles , ramps or other crazy victuals originate on your property ? If so , knowing the fertile nature of these wild plants , you likely have more than you ask . Invite folks over for a harvesting political party , and employ what you harvest to cook a dish you share together . This is a big introduction for people young to wild - food forage ; it can be a morsel intimidating to reconnoitre for and prepare with plants in the beginning viewed as weeds .
Our admirer , Brett Olson ofRenewing the Countryside , a Minnesota - found nonprofit that champions rural communities and resurgence , takes folks through the operation of gathering various groundless greens — from lamb ’s quarters to purslane — and teaches them to use them as a tasty alternative to spinach in dishes likespanakopita .
3. Cook a Mega Potluck Dish
We ’re not certain if our friends have caught on yet , but we always wreak the same dish to summer potluck : a big bowl of cucumber salad . We marinate cucumber rice vinegar with dill and lend flavourer . Why the repetition ? We always have a long ton of cucumber this time of year and , even with our fix - get fixation , the extras still pile up .
Because we always have morecucumbersat household , we even convey empty , neat containers for folk to take some salad home . Sometimes we take superfluous whole cucumber and get out those on the potluck buffet , along with the cucumber salad recipe . ( This is also a great way to make new friends ! )
4. Trade for Non-Food Rewards
Even non - husbandman who are n’t gardening themselves will appreciate receiving part of your harvesting and can often proffer you a non - food item in return . This strategy turn particularly well when someone has something of value that they do n’t want to give away for innocent , but might feel awkward need a protagonist to pay money for . For example , a local protagonist is downscaling their garden this yr and has extra irrigation dripping tape he ’s well-chosen to pass on to us for some produce samplers throughout the time of year . It ’s a win - win !
