I thought about the "fair share" issue when I started on this week's assignments yesterday, and did two things:

1 - I posted all of my green tomatoes on freecycle (a giveaway website).  I was waiting for the last ones to ripen, which probably wasn't going to happen, and it occurred to me that someone could potentially make use of the green ones for cooking or preserving.  It turns out that there were several folks interested, and I had many more tomatoes to give away than I thought.  Now I can completely clear that vegetable bed for the winter - so a win-win.

2 - I circulated a message on our neighborhood listserv to see if there were any others in my neighborhood interested in permaculture (I thought I could at least forward some of the links and tips that you all are sharing with me!).  I wasn't sure anyone would respond, but there were a few!  I now have their emails - so we can compare notes.  

I thought that was a good outcome for 5 minutes of "fair share" work!

(and after I had patted myself on the back for this, I realized that I dumped some shredded leaves on an area of yard that I should have sheet mulched...two steps forward, one step back...)

Hi Susan,

I was also thinking that "fair share" would be difficult to implement because of the size of my site (1/13th of an acre). While watching the video this week, I noticed a caption on one of the slides that read, "plant 1 row for others". What a simple concept, and one that I think I can easily achieve. My neighbors and I already share our garden surplus amongst each other, but none of us are food insecure. I did some research and found a program at one of our local farmers markets that sounds like a solution to the fair share objective. Individual gardeners are encouraged to bring their surplus produce to the market, where it is donated to a local food pantry. In return, donors are given credits that can be used at the market. It sounds like such a simple thing to do - I've already signed up for next summer!

Deb

For me, "Fair Share" (or "Return the Surplus") is just as much about returning the surplus to the earth as to people. Compost is a good example. When there's a surplus of plant material (leaves, grass clippings, veggie scraps, paper, cardboard), it can be composted and returned to the earth to grow more food and habitat for all of the beings that live in the ecosystem (and that includes us). 

I also have some apples that had gone past their prime, so every evening I've been cutting them into pieces and tossing them out under the bird feeder by the back door for the wildlife. I haven't seen what's eating them, but I know that rabbits, squirrels and deer all love them, and I don't mind sharing. The pieces are always gone by morning.