Homegrown community food swap

PORT Produce Tree is a grass-roots community group started to help people share their excess home grown produce.

On the second and fourth Saturday of each month the group hosts Port Produce & Food Swaps at 28 Brown Street, Portarlington.

‘The Tree’ is where community members can come and swap produce, recipes, and growing tips.

The next food swap will be held at The Tree on Saturday, February 12, between 10am and 11am.

Co-founder and volunteer at Port Produce Tree, Gabrielle Waller, said the group’s motto is ‘Take what you need, give what you can’ as there is no monetary value placed on items at the swaps and people do not need to leave food in order to take food.

“We are part of the ‘Grow Free’ movement, which is a grassroots, community building movement that promotes a sustainable culture of growing and sharing healthy food and other resources with our neighbours and community,” Mrs Waller said.

“The swaps provide connections for like-minded individuals to come together to chat and share tips, ideas and successes about gardening, growing food and cooking, and to share stories and friendships.”

Between food swaps, anyone can drop off fresh, uncut fruit, vegetables, seeds, seedlings and herbs to The Tree, which is open every day for drop off.

Items such as eggs, preserves, jams and perishables can be brought to a swap but not left at The Tree.

The group also maintains a small communal garden where community members can help weed, plant or pick, with food from the garden shared at the fortnightly food swaps.

“A group of locals started this wonderful community project with the support Freemason’s Portarlington, on whose land we are situated, and have generously been given space to grow food, which is then either picked directly from the garden by passers-by, or shared on the sharing tables under The Tree,” Mrs Waller said.

Mrs Waller said the group already has plans to expand the garden and is always welcoming more volunteers and community involvement.
To find out more about upcoming food swaps and more visit the Port Produce Tree Facebook Group.