A successful garden is a garden of overflow. There’s plenty of fresh produce for the day’s meals and hours of busy canning or freezing so the bounty will continue providing nourishment throughout the winter.
But sometimes, enough is enough. The pantry is filled with enough canning jars to last for years, and the freezer can hold no more. So, what’s a successful gardener to do?
The answer came easy for Laura Brummett. She set up a produce stand on the side of the road near her home and started giving away the overflow.
A “Fresh Produce” sign catches the eye of travelers along Ky 55 in the GlensFork community, or Hardscratch as the locals like to call it. On some days, there’s enough of this or that for a good canning session, and it’s all free for the taking, first come, first served, of course.
“This is just my second year of raising a garden and we canned all that we can can,” Brummett said. “There was still food left, so I guess you could say that the Lord graciously provided for us, and I felt like if it was still there, then it was more than enough to give away to other people in need or just people who wanted to can and didn’t have a garden.”
Brummett said the greatest part of the experience has been the opportunity to get to talk with people who are enjoying her generosity. “We are out there farming all day, and we don’t have a lot of interaction with people like you do when you have a public job, so that’s been a fun part of it,” she said. She has even met new people, some through messaging, because of the project.
People have reached out to thank her for the fresh produce and she has particularly enjoyed hearing from elderly people who once grew their own garden but are no longer able to. Others are growing their own produce, too, and bringing their overflow of items while taking a few other items they are short in.
The produce stand is located at 7594 Hwy 55 South Rd., Columbia.
