The core of this project was to build a stand near the Brewery Creek garden entrance where excess harvest could be shared. The concept has been suggested by numerous garden members over the years. Comments like, “There’s so much waste in the garden. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a way to share it with the local community?” were common.
Every summer the cries of, “Another zucchini?! My fridge is full; who do I give this to?” made me think there should be a way to better share the bounty.
My partner has a background in design and enjoys building. However, due to the constraints of apartment living, there are few opportunities to build anything of scale without turning the whole apartment into a workshop. The first project surprise came after a short conversation with our landlord asking if we could use his workshop space for the project. Very quickly we had the key to the shop (!) and carte blanche to use as needed. We learned many things by undertaking this project, including how expensive bolts and washers can be; how to carry 2x4s on a bike; and how to dig back into my high school math skills and calculate angles of a triangle!
I’m happy to report that the Food Share Stand was successfully built and installed at Brewery Creek Community Garden, in a perfect location right beside the entrance gate. It looks better than I could have expected and has the best attributes. Namely, it’s sturdy, can be removed in the winter, and is the appropriate height for both kids and adults. My most memorable moment, once the stand was installed, was harvesting excess kale and zucchini and having it gone by the following morning.
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