When times get tough, the tough turn to the garden
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Since the economy took a dive three years ago, more and more people like Cam Slocum show up unannounced at restaurants, local markets and small retailers, looking to sell what they’ve foraged or grown in their backyards.
No one keeps track of the number of people selling their homegrown bounty, but scores of ads have cropped up on Craigslist across the country, hawking local produce, home-filtered honey and backyard eggs. But one Los Angeles resident with a lemon tree posted an offering on Craigslist to let customers ‘save over 50% over Vons, Ralphs, etc. $1.00/pound.’
At the Orange County Swap Meet, officials said the number of people selling home-canned beans and other homemade edibles grew to 30 vendors this month, up from eight vendors in early 2007.
In the South, hunters are selling venison and wild boar meat. In the Midwest, people are combing the forests for morel mushrooms, which can fetch $10 to $40 a pound.