By Carol Henderson, who, along with Dena Allen, created and manages the Sebastopol Grange’s very popular Gardener’s Produce Exchange program
It was Martin Luther King Day, a Monday in January, when my next-door neighbor texted me to tell me she had something for me. When she arrived at my door, she presented me with a slim volume, The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, professor, and Indigenous author of Braiding Sweetgrass. The subtitle of this new book is Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, and in the book, Kimmerer describes the relationship between the serviceberry tree and the delightful abundance of juicy sweet berries that it provides to birds and people in her home of upstate New York. It is an idea of abundance—the gift economy—and how we all benefit when we share our abundance with the community around us.
As my neighbor presented me with this offering, she asked two things of me. One: I was to pass the book along to someone else after I had read it. Two: I would organize, with her help, a neighborhood veggie swap to share the abundance of our summer gardens (we both have big gardens) that were still in our winter imaginations. She knew I had experience since I have been the co-host of the Sebastopol Grange’s Produce Exchange/Donation since 2019. The Produce Exchange is like a free farmer’s market where folks bring their garden abundance and swap for something else that they might not have.
After the 2019 Kincaide fire, that caused most of our neighbors to evacuate and resulted with us being without power for five days, I had organized a contact list so we had each other’s phone numbers and email addresses in case of emergencies or just for ease of contac
When spring came, I sent out an email letting everyone know about our plan for gathering and that there would be more information forthcoming. For the next couple of months, I would periodically offer packets of seeds and plant starts to interested neighbors.
We decided to make the gatherings easy. They would happen on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 5-6 p.m., and as we wanted to include everyone, even non-gardeners, we decided to call it a Happy Hour and Veggie Swap. We are fortunate enough to live at the end of a dead-end road, and at the terminus, there is a patch of land that is a PG&E easement with a fence that separates it from the grazing land behind. We figured this no-man’s-land was a good spot to meet so no one had to host and that the gathering would be on common land so to speak.
We decided we would start on the third Tuesday of June, around the Summer Solstice. There were still a few folks that were not on the contact list, and we also wanted to check in with both neighbors down at the end, next to the easement, to see if they minded if we gathered there. So, with freshly picked strawberries in hand, we did some door knocking. Folks around our neighborhood are not used to “strangers” knocking on their doors, so the response was hesitant, but positive.
At last, we met. My neighbor brought a small fold-up table and I brought a tablecloth and we laid out our offerings. Fresh raspberries and strawberries, lettuce, herbs, and green onions were on display. We had told everyone bring a chair, a drink, and a smile, and so sure enough, out they came. Wanting to make it festive, I had brought some popcorn, and other folks showed up with snacks too. We had to coax people to take the produce at first, but by the end of the time, everyone was relaxed and all the produce had a new home.
Two weeks later, we met again. Neighbors who had not come the first time arrived, so the circle was even bigger. Two kinds of squash, flowers, raspberries, herbs, and more green onions were available for the taking. We did not have to coax as much to encourage people to help themselves, and as for the snacks, there were even warm brownies! After two meetings I already feel that the venture has been a great success and we have not even gotten into the main productive time of our gardens yet. Wait until they see the cucumbers, tomatoes, and cantaloupes!
People are feeling more comfortable with each other and are wanting to share. There is a sense of community and kindness that cannot be replicated in any other way. Neighbors who are still shy are staying around the edges a little longer. Because really, in this time in the world, we all want more connection and kindness. What better place to feel that than in our own backyards.
–Carol Henderson