Keep busy, do something, grow something, make something

and you had better to do it for someone else:

Recently Facebook had a link to a podcast (I didn't even know what that was, I confess) about The Giving Garden in Pennsylvania. Started by my niece and her husband at their church with the idea of raising fresh produce and giving it away.  To whomever needed it -  period.  No paperwork, no guidelines, no restrictions. They give it to the homeless shelters, women's shelters, special needs people and, during zucchini season, anyone who wanders too close to my niece and makes eye contact with her (her words, not mine!).

They have given away tremendous quantities of wonderful food to an awful lot of people and in doing that have built a sense of community that I suspect has reached far beyond that original plot of dirt.  It's not rocket science as her husband says:  it's dirt in a box, don't over think it - don't make it harder than it has to be.  Just do it and see what happens.

Their aim going forward ties nicely in with my desire that all my readers (and I have no clue who you are or how many of you there are) grow something.  Grow it in a pot, grow in in a raised bed, grow it out on the lawn but grow it.  And then share it!  My next door neighbor ends up taste testing everything from a new bread recipe to different pickles I've made to the extra parsnips.  

And then I noticed last year they were starting their own little garden out on their the back lawn.  The guy down the street got in a competition with his friend around the corner to see who could raise the most different kinds of tomatoes.  And then he branched out into peppers....it was awesome!

The title of this post comes from something that same niece said to me about our family - that we are a combo of one side (that is the keep busy, do something, grow or make something side) and the other side which cares more for everyone else than for themselves. Not that they weren't busy or productive but they always thought of doing for others before taking for themselves.



I'm not sure the link I've put in will actually work - can't tell that until the post is published.  But be that as it may, think of your own "giving garden" this coming summer.  We can all raise something and have enough to share if we just put some dirt in a box (or a bag or a pot), add a few seeds and don't over think it.

https://allinfoodz.podbean.com/e/the-giving-garden/?token=bd8b2bdf94554f066d5e478141780f66