By Robert Mills
The sun blessed Berkeley gardeners with heaps of homegrown produce this summer. To address burgeoning baskets, Councilmember Max Anderson announced the addition of the the Lorin Station Crop Swap this Sunday, August 21 at 1 p.m.
The one-hour, edible-garden swap hosted by Transition Berkeley and The Victory Garden Foundation at the corner of Alcatraz and Adeline is free to the public. Attendees lacking in produce are encouraged to bring something else (aside from money) in the spirit of neighborly trading. The event is set to repeat every third Sunday of every month.
Berkeleyside’s Sarah Henry reported from a crop swap at Ohlone Park in July, where bright yellow lemons dominated the folding tables.
“Maybe it should be renamed the Lemon Swap?” quipped Berkeleyside reader GPO.
Though they did steal the show, lemons weren’t the only produce at July’s Ohlone swap, which takes place every Monday. Henry sighted fresh plums, potatoes, basil and beets amid the sour summer crop. Berkeley barterers also shared carrots, strawberries, rosemary, rhubarb and fresh eggs.
As Henry wrote in another story, crop swaps are popping up throughout the Bay Area. Perhaps the Lorin Station Crop Swap is a sign of a swelling edible garden movement — with its roots right here in Berkeley.
