Portable Produce!
In June of 2008 we began talking to local farmers who wanted to share their surplus produce. Before long we found folks who had no transportation and began delivering the veggies directly to them. Our network brings neighbors together and we get to hear stories from elders who used to grow their own food. By the middle of the summer we were overflowing with tomatoes and then apples. A team hauled the excess to the Montgomery County Cannery in Riner and had a super time chopping, stirring, (sampling), and preserving. All through the winter we were able to keep visiting with applesauce and tomatoes.
Next we started our Souper Douper Soup Circles! A team created a delicious soup and bread each month. Each team member presented the feast at a host home and our folks gathered round the table.
Giving and receiving is all wrapped up together in sharing with neighbors. Eighty-four year old Iva receives 'the best cabbage she's ever tasted' and gives us her mother's speckled bean seeds. Russell receives eggs and gives back an ironing board that turns out to be just what Carol's family needs. Bernease sits me down for a cup of tea when I bring her greens. Vera and Lou won't let me leave without cake or a popscicle.
This year the 'veggie visitors' are bringing food and chatting on the porches of seventy families. Fifteen people share the deliveries, taking turns on their route. This summer we are especially thankful to farmers from the Blacksburg Farmer's Market for their bounty.
