We've been spending about a day a week gardening at a local farm. We help out doing whatever needs to be done that day, in exchange for fresh veggies at the end of it. It seems like a pretty good deal for both parties. For us, it prolongs our having to get “real” jobs because we're not spending as much money on food. The farmer recently asked if we wanted to go to market for her to sell, as she was going to be away for a few days and didn't want her produce to go to waste in the fields.
We took on the job. We went over to the farm the day before market day to harvest, picking cucumbers, zucchini's, tomatoes, herbs, greens, and the like. We harvested amounts that she recommended, based on how items had been selling in previous weeks. The day of the market, we went to Mahone Bay and set things up. It was fun to lay things out on pretty tablecloths and in baskets to make everything look nice.
It was a great day! Not particularly financially, but for so many other things. I really enjoyed chatting with customers, hearing what they liked, and seeing some of them being open to trying new veggies. When it was slow, I chatted with some of the other vendors. There was a nice comfort there, of all these people coming together to sell their local food. I could sense the pride in them, selling what they had worked hard for. It was a little different for us, as we hadn't been involved in growing that food to the same extent, but I know I will feel similarly when we get to the point where we are selling our own food.
It got us thinking about things like how to harvest, how to care for greens so that they don't wilt before they get to market, and how to present the food at market. I'm so glad to have had that opportunity.
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