How to Find, Swap, Share or Sell Local Fruits and Vegetables

The other day while perusing the world wide web, I came across a new start-up company called called Ripe Near Me on Treehugger.  The aim of the company is to make finding local produce easier and more convenient, because let’s be honest, unless you have a year round farmers market {Go HERE for a directory to farmers markets in Washington} in your area, it can be a real hassle to seek out local produce.  Ripe Near Me hopes to create an extensive database that allows users to type in their area and find local produce, not just farmers markets, but also from local gardening enthusiasts with excess produce and known public foraging sites.  If this company can pull it off, I would totally be up for putting my excess produce on the site–AND swapping for other people’s.  Seriously, how cool would that be?

You already know how I feel about food waste.  It’s bad, bad, bad.  It seems to me that local produce is pretty abundant, we just need to know how to FIND it.  Last year, The Girl and I were able to get free plums from a local couple who had waaaaay more plums than they could handle.  We got lucky.  I saw a handwritten cardboard sign, “Free U-Pick Plums” and stopped.  You bet I did.  In return, we gave the couple some of our eggs and some heirloom tomatoes.

Foraging on public lands is another great way to get local produce.  Last year, I found a website that locals could post free foraging locations in their area.  There are tons of public locations that have fruit trees, berry patches, etc. that you can forage for food, if you want to put the time in.  Most of the time, the food would go to waste otherwise.  The problem is, more often than not, you have to rely on word of mouth to know where the hot spots are located.  Having a map where other foragers share their finds gives you a place to start.  In an effort to pay it forward, if you know of good foraging locations, you should totally hop on the site and let other people know.

You can also start by hooking people up with YOUR own excess produce {remember, you never know what you will be able to get in return–it’s always an adventure}.  Last year, I decided to make a little extra cash on some of my excess produce {while still giving my local peeps a steal of a deal}.  I set up a little table with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, rhubarb, and lettuce.  I left a sign that said, “Fresh vegetables.  Pay or leave what you like in exchange.”  Wouldn’t you know it, I ended up with $33 and quite a few food products.

And, of course, if you want to keep it simple, just start with the people you know.  Your neighbors may totally be willing to barter with you.  I’ve traded my garden veggies for all sorts of food stuffs.  It saved me a trip to the store, and they got fresh homegrown organic produce.  It’s win-win.

How about YOU, how do you find local produce?

~Mavis