Transforming Greed into Generosity

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There is an abundance of Goldenrod and Joe Pye Weed tis year.

 Harvest time is all about abundance.  During August, I feast on the fresh corn, tomatoes and peaches that are grown near me.  Visiting local fruit and vegetable stands and seeing all the fresh local produce makes me very happy.  Walking the local trails, this year, I am seeing apple trees that are so heavily laden with fruit that the branches are bending over to touch the ground.  Many apples have already fallen onto the ground and I’ve seen flocks of Canada Geese and Wild Turkeys feasting on them.  It is, as they say, a good year for apples.

We had to add a stick to hold up the branch on our apple tree so that it
wouldn't crack under the weight of the apples this year.

Late summer is a time to renew our relationship with the Earth and to be grateful for her abundance and all she shares with us.  Last week, I renewed my relationship with the Elderberry bushes near me.  They shared their dark purple berries with me.  I cooked them down with cinnamon, cloves and ginger and then added honey to the strained liquid to make a kind of syrup that can be added to water.  It’s good for my immune system and so I froze small jars of it in the freezer to have all winter.  We discovered lots of Highbush Cranberries and Chokecherries while we were looking for Elderberries..  My partner is learning how to make Chokecherry Jelly with the Chokecherries we picked.

Elderberries

Highbush Cranberries

Chokecherries

It’s also a time to share with others.  Our local Community Garden is planted with donated plants and seeds and anyone who wants to, can pick the vegetables as they are ready.  I prepare a basket of surplus vegetables monthly and take it to the local library to give away. I deliver zucchinis, squash and kale to neighbours as well. When the local Food Bank was looking for a location for their Sharing Cupboard, they thought of the Community Garden as a location.  The Cupboard houses food that people can share with each other and is also stocked by the Food Bank to help fill the gap that some families experience in food security.  We chose to locate this cupboard under the big Red Oak tree to provide shade and beside the Community Garden to connect the idea of food sharing.

Sharing Cupboard in front of the Community Garden

This is a mast year for the Oak tree and there is an abundance of acorns that the squirrels are enjoying.  The Oak trees have an interesting relationship with the squirrels.  The mast year will mean that there is a good chance of more acorns sprouting into oak trees and that there may be more squirrel babies next spring.  The Oak trees will not produce as many acorns next year in order to control the squirrel population. 

Red Oak acorns in the park near the Community Garden

 However, it is not a good year for Wild Grapes.  Last year, they were everywhere and we made lots of Wild Grape Jelly to share with our friends and family.  Perhaps the grapes have the same kind of relationship with the animals and birds that eat them.  This year, we may make a smaller batch of jelly or we may make applesauce instead.

This Wild Grape vine is growing on top of our apple tree so we will
harvest the grapes when we move the vine later in the fall.

When I think about the settlers that came here to Turtle Island who were escaping scarcity of food, land, freedom and jobs, I wonder what this abundance looked like to them.  I wonder why this abundance didn't heal their traumas of scarcity.  Instead, it seems that the trauma kept them and even us today, taking as much as we can.  Indigenous Peoples would never take all the berries or apples.  They would leave some for their relatives the animals, birds and insects and leave some for seeds so the plants could thrive into the future, for seven generations at least.  It feels like it's time to heal these traumas and come into balance with the abundance of the Earth.  It feels like it's time to take only what we actually need and make sure we actually use it.  It feels like it's time to think about providing food security for everyone by thinking collectively.  It feels like it's time to heal the trauma and let go of the greed.  We can do this. The trees and squirrels, birds and insects, and the plants who have all been here longer than we humans are here to teach us.

A grasshopper samples a cherry tomato left on top of the bulletin board
at the Community Garden.  Our community is more than just humans.

It took only what it needed and then sat to digest the meal leaving lots for other insects.