We reach a point in our suburban garden when the zucchini begins to take over. That point came with the onset of summer heat last month.
At first it’s very exciting! Those first glossy, green trophies provide a feeling of validation – reward for all of effort and proof that the sun, soil, and our care are working together. Sliced into dinners or grated into breads, there is a certain amount of pride that goes along with those initial harvests. Your garden has become productive!
And then, nearly overnight, there’s more.
One more zucchini hidden under a leaf. Then two. Then five! You leave them on the counter, hoping to use them before more show up. You look for unique recipes and wonder how many loaves of sweet bread your family can or SHOULD eat.
And this is when something familiar and meaningful happens.
A quick text offering some of the bounty to a neighbor or a casual, “Would you like some zucchini?” when you happen to be outside at the same time. It’s a very simple exchange, but one that feels increasingly rare. I remember my mom both receiving and giving zucchinis depending on whether or not a garden had been planted in our backyard. As a girl, I recall a neighbor hosting a zucchini bread/recipe exchange one abundant summer.
When sharing your harvest there is no transaction or expectation. Just the understanding: I have more than I need and you might be able to use it. In these small suburban spaces where lives often run parallel but separate, sharing garden overflow creates connection. It turns neighbors into friends – not through grand gestures, but through repeated, ordinary ones.
Zucchini can be less about what to do with too much of something and more about what happens when we let abundance spill over.
The entrepreneur in me can’t help but feel drawn to the idea of a small farm stand. With the growing popularity of cottage baking and neighborhood produce stands, there is something charming about turning homemade or homegrown goods into a simple offering that reaches beyond your immediate neighbors.
It doesn’t need to be elaborate – a simple table on your driveway or near your garden gate along with a handwritten sign, maybe a few loaves of sourdough or whatever your garden produced that week. These small-scale stands seem to return us to something slower and more personal, where food is not only purchased, but creates a sense of community.
More than side income, it represents a shift in thinking regarding abundance. When a backyard yields more than a household needs, or hobby baking naturally produces extra, a farm stand becomes a way to extend that effort beyond our family and friends. It creates a bridge between home and community, and offers an opportunity for creativity in how we provide for ourselves and others.
So perhaps when the harvest becomes a little overwhelming it’s less of a problem and more of an opportunity. And sometimes the best part of growing food isn’t just what ends up on your table.
*Last month I wrote about Broomfield’s food bank, FISH, and their community teaching garden. In that article I mentioned that fresh produce leaves the shelves of their market first and very quickly. They do accept donations from your home garden. Please consider helping our neighbors in need by sharing your extra harvest.
Andrea Wallace writes about creative food solutions and home-based sustainability. You can reach her at ajbattwall71@gmail.com.
