The Gift That Keeps On Giving…

I received a gorgeous bounty of fresh-picked, local peaches from a dear friend recently. There’s something so special about someone sharing the (literal) fruits of their labor, from the land they’ve poured their blood, sweat and tears into.

I’m currently reading a fantastic book titled Braiding Sweetgrass. In my daily reading, I came across an excerpt about how the author had a dream about her favorite farmers market in the Andes, where she spent some time doing ecological research. In her dream, no one at the farmers market stalls would accept her money. She writes, “Gratitude was the only currency accepted here. It was all a gift.”

She goes on to say, “I glanced over at the cheese stall, thinking to get some, but knowing it would be given, not sold, I decided I could do without. It’s funny: Had all the things in the market merely been a very low price, I probably would have scooped up as much as I could. But when everything became a gift, I felt self-restraint. I didn’t want to take too much. And I began thinking of what small presents I might bring to the vendors tomorrow.”

She goes on to further discuss the conversion of a market economy to a gift economy, from private goods to common wealth, where the relationships become as nourishing as the food you’re getting…a shared celebration of abundance.

I love the concept here, and how the author talks about NOT scooping everything up when it’s free, which is the opposite of how I feel our society in general would react. I love that she saw the value, of the goods, and also of the relationships. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the product or in the money, or in the “deal,” that we forget about the person who labored and shared their talent to provide the product.

In our family, we aim to not let anything go to waste. I’m thrilled, over the next several blog posts, to be able to share with you just how much we’re able to do with the peaches that have been gifted to us. Nothing will go to waste; not even the peels or pits. Stay tuned for some practical, delicious peach recipes!

With Love,

Kimberly