CREATING A LOCAL FOOD ECONOMY: PLANT A ROW FOR WIMBERLEY

At The Bountiful Sprout board meeting Sunday, we were all bemoaning the fact that we have so few fruit and veggie suppliers on our roster. The ones we do have are great, but just can't keep up with the demand. Our problem is that the ones who could supply the quantities we need, like Montessino and Onion Creek, don't want to mess with anyone who won't guarantee a certain amount of sales each period, and we just can't do that. Our members order whatever they want to order. So, the farmers think, why bother with Bountiful Sprout when people like Farm House Delivery and Central Market are hammering at our door saying "Hey guys, we'll take everything you can grow, guaranteed!"?

Well, I personally can think of a couple of good reasons. One, if you buy and sell locally, you support the local economy - the one in which you live. Second, when selling to national chains like Central Market, the farmer gets to keep around 7-15% of what his produce actually sells for. The rest goes to middlemen. With Bountiful Sprout, ninety two percent of the selling price, which the farmer sets himself, goes to the farmer! Why? Because Bountiful Sprout is run by volunteers, who don't make a penny off of this. We do it because we believe in the need to re-create a local food economy.

Fortunately, in the midst of our despair, one board member spoke up. "You knoooow, since our goal was to create a local food system, maybe we should stop focussing on farmers who are already doing well, and focus more on creating new farmers. Maybe we should encourage our regular members, many of whom have a little veggie patch or some chickens or a few fruit trees or an herb garden, to sell their inevitable excesses through The Bountiful Sprout. If that works well for them this season, they might just plant some extra on purpose next season. Then, who knows where that might lead?" Brilliant!

Thus, it has been enacted: Got a fig tree that is knocking itself out this year? Some prolific plums or pomegranates? Zillions of zucchini or bountiful basil? If so, and you just happen to be one of our member families (only $40 per year to be one - compare that to what they charge per month to rent a booth at a farmer's market) all you have to do is call up our manager Cindy, and she will list it on our website for you. Who knows? We just might make a farmer out of you yet!

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