Produce Exchange: RIPE for the Picking

Do zukes and cukes grow for you, too often and too well? And yet for all your time and trouble, you can't raise a decent crop of garlic?  

RIPE (Residential In-Season Produce Exchange of Altadena) is a community of backyard gardeners who get together periodically to swap what they've grown for what they need, vegetably-speaking.  

RIPE  was started by local Gail Murphy more than five years ago, originally as a way to share the edible abundance growing in local backyard gardens. 

And that's still the backbone -- meeting with members and swapping homegrown fruits and vegetables. But nowadays, RIPE has expanded to include, among other things, a number of urban homestead-ish classes, such as canning and growing/processing herbs. Even if you're not a member, it's worth visiting the website's Community Referral Page, where locals recommend everything from trusted plumbers to architects. 

The next produce swap takes place August 12th, at Farnsworth Park, under the awning -- north/top of the park -- 7 pm.  

Drop by and have a look; see what RIPE brings to the table.

For membership information, click here.