Grow Your Own Magazine

In my opinion, secondary to eating your own, getting a compliment from someone else regarding how nice your veg was, is completely satisfying.

I have given away quite alot already this year, to family and friends, and getting comments from them that they genuinely enjoy it and in particular, commenting on how different it tastes from supermarket veg makes it all worthwhile.

The most popular are potatos and carrots, as you simply cannot buy the taste. My wife doesn't even scrub carrots too much as she likes the earthy flavour. Coming in third must be broads but I'm selective as to who gets these cause my favourite

I hope they dont expect me to take a second plot to keep 'em coming !

What are your experiences ?

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An onion can make people cry but there's never been a vegetable that can make people laugh.
Will Rogers

I've given away quite a few tatties and turnips. I grew lettuce and radish specificaly for Dexter's Aunty Margaret next door. The number of courgettes I'm getting, will be giving those away as well! The peas only just make it home as I eat most of them on the lottie! It's a super feelings isn't it giving away veg you've grown? Bernie

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

I always get hopeful looks when the runner beans come in - assuming they don't drown this year! Tomatoes you can't give away and courgettes have limited popularity - not that I have many spare!

Pumpkins - if you can grow excess are always popular! (now define excess....)

I seem to have more luck giving away the extra plants, I don't get quite so precious about them! As long as I have a few spares .........

Not giving anything away this year - at least not without payment, but previously have managed to give away some of almost everything I grew - Runner and French beans were popular, and rhubarb and cucumbers - they were queuing at the gate for them ,

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Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

I love giving away fresh things from my garden and I have such wonderful and kind neighbors that I make sure that I grow enough to share...I wonder if anyone else has this happen though...On the occasion when I have offered to let someone pick from my garden or gather for themselves, they rarely do...If I do the gathering and washing of the veggies...they are happy ...thrilled...to have them but they don't seem to be interested in getting into the harvest part...I have just returned from vacation and told my neighbor who was here 2 times everyday looking after things to feel free to raid the garden...they said they picked squash and beans but if they did, I sure cannot tell where....I spent the evening yesterday after an all day flight and all this morning picking beans and squash...I actually threw away two dishpans full of beans...I have enough planted that we only eat the young and very tender...these were way over grown...but besides those, I put 8 bags of beans and 3 of squash into the freezer...If someone said come and help yourself from my garden, and I didn't have one...I would be there in a NY minute.

I haven't had so much stuff that I can afford to give it away when I'm trying my best to live off my produce and squirrel it away for winter. But it is a great pleasure to share stuff around when you do have a lot and good for swopping and bartering. A number of the men on the allotment have been very kind and generous when I was starting up, gifts of produce, plants and time so good to be able to give something back, although they don't need my veg or fruit but the eggs from my allotment hens are very welcome. I also found that you can return a gift by transforming apples into jelly or chutney, beetroot into cake etc and giving some of that back.
My greatest pleasure has been presenting my mother with a large basket of produce, she has seen me through so many fads over the year and I'm sure she thought allotmenting was just the latest one - felt good to prove to her that for once I'd stuck with it!
Sue

We always have extra plants to give away but veg wise its hit and miss. Some things we grow extra of so that we can give some away, garlic in plaits this year for example and salads especially but most of the rest we either consume or convert for the freezer of bottling / canning.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Thursday 8th January at 2130hrs

Only starting a couple of months ago on a very small scale, I don't have near enough crops to be able to give away, but fingers are still crossed for the lottie! I make chutneys, sauces and soups with produce others give me and give some of that back, always very gratefully received. Roll on the day I can use my own tomatoes, chillies and so on!

I only have a 7 x 6.5 metre plot so I don't grow masses of anything. I also like to try and get all my veg fresh so not much goes in the freezer (except some fruit - to make pies out of season). However, I put spare plants in my sister and Ma's garden and in my in-laws' although they latter are limited in what they can look after. When we visit on a Saturday I always try to take something along. It was a pot of cutting lettuce and a bag of Arran Pilot last week. Makes you feel nice!

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If a man is in the garden and speaks, and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated January 3rd - Birdwatching.

I used to take a basket of salad stuff every week for me Mam, specially tomatoes which she loved, and anything else we had a bit spare of. (Not sure me Dad will be quite so enthusiastic, unless they're made into something 1st!) My friend is also very fond of tomatoes, and not shy about helping herself (the Sungold especially). We usually use up 'gluts' by freezing/pickling/making sauces and chutney though.

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Sarah

http://www.hypermobility.org


“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I gave some potatoes to a friend at work. Her compliment the next day? 'Not as tasty as the nice Jersey Royals I bought last week'. Pah!

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September

I have yet to crop anything, but first on my list is the gent that lives next door to me.

for the past 2 years he has bought me over tomatoes, cucumbers and beans from his allotment. Oh and a gorgeous bunch of flowers from his allotment too.

I want to be able to return the favour this year

Chrissie
How strange, the situation you describe is what happened to me and why I got into getting an allotment. It was a great thrill when I managed to grow something to give in exchange, not easy as there's nothing much he doesn't grow but this year their strawberries got vandalised so was able to give them some of mine. Even then I got given asparagus in return so I can't win! But I do have hens so can give them eggs when they want them.
Sue

I give loads away.

our parents get a goodie box when they come round...odd they seem ot come more in the summer....and usuall phone to see how the crop is dong before they come.

and We have an old lady next door and one the other side who we give stuff to. At the moment I am picking 3 cuecumbers a week. So we give them one and then make rhubarb crumble and furit salads and always give them a portion.

I would rather give it away than throw it away.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

I've given away a couple of things this year (not much as our first year and we didn't really have gluts). But gave enough for 1 meal of new potatoes to my grandparents (went down really well), some brocolli and a plait of onions to an aunt and uncle, a plait of onions and some new pots to one sister, some new potatoes (as salad) and fresh lettuce to my mum and some cabbage and brocolli to MIL. Will give some more onions (but want to keep a few for ourselves) and some garlic to a few others, and making some green tomato chutney to give as Chrissie pressies to various foodie relatives.

I'm looking forward to getting the whole plot into production next year (less than half was producing this year cause of weed issues), and hopefully giving away some more as well as enjoying more ourselves. If all of the spring brassicas do ok, we will be giving away cabbage and sprouting brocolli to all and sundry. But OH isn't allowing me to grow as many onions as this year (I keep telling him we'll use them all ourselves, but he doesn't believe me).

I never have enough onions. I don't have a lot of room (till my name gets to the top of the lottie list!) but I do love to grow onions and shallots. I use a lot in chutneys - a favourite of mine and our son's.

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If a man is in the garden and speaks, and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated January 3rd - Birdwatching.

I love to drop a few veg off with someone and often I find that the favour is returned in other ways. We have hardly ever had to buy kids school clothes etc. All part of the bartering thing. It is also nice to be able to look after friends, family and a few older folk who have little money and can't manage a veg patch anymore. All makes the world go round.

Yet, I am under no illusions about the amount of time we devote to the veg growing and it is an important part of our families food. I often found I would give away all the perfect stuff and had to eat all the rubbish myself. Now, I am much better at judging amounts, spreading the cropping season, picking stuff at its best, and storing preserving etc.so I have fewer gluts-more a steady supply.

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul

I have an arrangement with the lady next door. I give her my surplus fresh veg and fruit and she makes me a couple of homemade sausage rolls every Sunday. Saves throwing the pound coins around as she insists on paying for everything. Also there's a gentleman just up the road who used to have the lottie next to mine, had to give it up due to health problems, so I pop him and his wife a few bits in now and again, and they save their bags and punnets for me. Works well.

I've given away plants but my plot is so small and veg has been so bad this year - even my leeks seem to be harbouring ambitions to be spring onions that nothing has been given away this year.

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Best wishes
Andrewo
Harbinger of Rhubarb tales

Update on my earlier posting on this thread - I have now given away carrots and courgettes, both of which were very very well received, isn't it great!!

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance