If you have a garden bursting into bloom, it probably won’t be long before you’re picking more produce than you can pawn off on your neighbors.
Zucchini, anyone?
Photo by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons
Stuffed Zucchini with Spinach and Bacon …
Okay, okay—enough already!
There must be something else a gardener can do with her extras.
And here it is:
This aptly named non-profit is all about creating pathways between fresh garden produce and food pantries for people in need.
“One out of six Americans needs food assistance but can’t get fresh produce from the local food pantry, while millions of American homeowners grow more food in their backyard gardens than they can possibly use,” says the organization’s website. “The AmpleHarvest.org Campaign is a national effort utilizing the Internet that enables 40-plus million Americans who grow food in home gardens to easily donate their excess harvest to registered local food pantries spread across all 50 states.”
Photo by Biswarup Ganguly via Wikimedia Commons
How?
Check out the searchable, online list of food pantries at AmpleHarvest.org/findpantry. Every single one of them is ready and able (and sometimes desperate) for fresh food donations.
An excellent solution for someone like me that likes to plant lots of variety but can’t possibly eat it all myself! Yes, I purposely planted three each of tomato and zucchini plants. Well??? They are impressive plants. MaryJane to the rescue again 🙂
Hahaha, Cindi!! The Great Zucchini takeover in Coeur d’Alene in on!!! We already crowned our Zucchini Queen at the local festival in May. Blessedly, the vines are all dead now and we are into Okra, Okra Okra and blazing hot peppers. What else can possibly survive 97 degree heat everyday? Did I mention Okra availability??
Seriously, this link for AmpleHarvest is a super idea. I understand there are many “produce deserts” in large inner cities where people have to shop in stores where produce hardly exists, save a few hard apples. Plus food pantries rely on donations and fresh produce is rare. Another good thing that is happening here in Florida is that more and more farmer’s markets are able to accept food stamps for their produce and people can shop at the downtown market on Wednesdays. I do think every great option and idea is helpful to those families who cannot access healthy food. Thankfully around here, collards can grow in yards for many of the cooler months of the year (October -May). They are also available on the backs of parked trucks along the roadside on weekends for cheap.