Offloading surplus veggies

[Hyacinth]

I've today delivered a carrier bag of runners + 5 cucumbers which had reached cosh-size weight/proportions :o to my GP practice (the surplus courgettes got dumped there last week ;D)

They have them in baskets in the waiting room and 'sell' them for a donation. We also donate books which get sold at 50p each.

So far they've been able to buy 3 BP monitors for peeps to use at home.

I'm well-pleased.

ANYWHERE I can off-load courgettes/runners at the moment's gotta be a Good Thing ;D

[Hyacinth]

[cornykev]

Nice one girl.     ;D ;D ;D

[shirlton]

Lishka you go girl ;D

[GRACELAND]

 :D   well done  :)

[flowerofshona2007]

That is a brilliant idea !!
I had someone email me asking for spare veggies, did not even know them !!! tried to explain that we only just grow enough to keep us going and they should put their name down for a plot  :) got a load of abuse  :-[
We give any spare to our neighbours who have very little and are great neighbours.

[Hyacinth]

Well..it's a good initiative from the surgery gals, isn't it, so thought I'd mention it here in case anyone else is inspired 8)

The book thing's particularly good, a nice year-round earner I'd think.

[macmac]

What a splendid idea.All our spares like you Graceland go to our neighbours,we're blessed in our road with some smashing people.We used to give stuff to certain people elsewhere but began to feel it was more their taking rather than our giving if you get my drift.I'm sure some folk think you just toss a packet of seed at the allotment come back later and the produce just hops into the boot of the car >:(

[Digeroo]

Love the idea of getting something for the locality. 

But GPs are paid loads they should provide their own equipment.  They are getting £5.50 for each flu jab.

Up to now I have been giving my spare courgettes away, but this year decided to charge a small fee.  I was very annoyed by the number of people you drove up saw the notice and drove away.  So have been giving my spare to a very grateful and freindly pig. 

Though sometimes you do not get anything straight away, someone gave me some dahlia plants quite unexpectedly. 

I really do not think people should expect veg to be free.  Someone hearing I had an allotment rang me up and said how someone used to give her vegetables.  I have not spoken to her for 20 years.  What a cheek.

[Mullein]

So we've got a shop and I would like to encourage people to bring in their gluts - paid for of course. However, OH thinks EHO and other red tape would get in the way...

Does anybody know about the regs regarding this? I know Allotments can't technically sell their produce but what about private gardens?

[saddad]

When I had a glut of cabbage last year one of our "Eco" shops said they wouldn't buy them but had a scheme to distribute to OAPs if I was giving them away... :hi

[1066]

I like the idea of finding good homes for your surplus veggies - neighbours and friends are my beneficiaries, not much and not very often but I know they are all very appreciated.  My surplus sweetpeas go to a couple of elderly neighbours - and the smile I get back is worth soooo much  :)

I think some people are just blumin rude and selfish! People really can take things for granted can't they!

I also like Squash's way of dealing with the large pumpkins - giving them to a Sikh temple
And Hyacith's surplus story sounds very practical  :)

[lavenderlux]

A 'young offenders' group has a plot on our allotments and the produce from this goes to a local sheltered housing scheme - other allotment holders also give surplus produce to be added to the delivery.  The people at the housing scheme take what they want and make a donation to their scheme charity - this year its the children's hospice, last year the air ambulance.

[shirlton]

We cut the excess summer fruiting raspberries out yesterday and these will go to the others on the plot who are just starting. The first time we met Hyacinth she came with a boot full of Raspberries for our Daughter, not ony that but she planted them anorl. What comes around goes around ;D

[cornykev]

One of our friends walked past the lottie once and asked if I had anything going, I handed over some veggies and she looked at them and said, oh there cleaner than this at Tesco's, looks like I'll have to wash them.
I think you can work out my answer to her, funny enough she never came back for any more,  f### her let her buy the crap from Tesco, you may detect a tad of annoyance in me at the time.     :(     ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D