The new website VeggieTrader provides a forum for neighbors to buy, sell or trade plants, seeds, and the fruits (and veggies) of their gardening labor.  Functioning as an online classified section for the food and gardening enthusiast in all of us, VeggieTrader is an amazing way to connect directly with your local food community (aka foodshed) and get a fresh taste what other people are growing.

When I lived in New York I used to trade plants and produce with a fellow gardener down the street, and loved having the opportunity to learn tips and techniques from her, and generally just geek out about gardening together.  Trading with my fellow gardeners at my community garden plot in Los Angeles now is a bit more of a challenge as I don’t speak Korean and many of them don’t speak much English, but we manage to share using hand gestures and the universal language of food.

I’m so excited to expand my local “food network” using VeggieTrader, which has a simple sign up process and makes posting and searching for participating neighbors a breeze. Use the action link below to start trading, and let me know what you think!