Giveaway

July 12, 2023

After the bad crop last year, I was determined for better production this year.  I planted a 6 pack of Aransas travelers, 2 sweet 100’s, and 2 beefsteaks’(all Solanum lycopersicum var.), along with 1 poblano and 2 jalapeno (both Capsicum annuum var.) peppers.   I knew part of last year’s problem was retaining water and insufficient growth medium, so I replaced several old 5-gallon (20 liter) bucket containers with five new 20 gallon (75 1/3 liter) grow bags.  While the weather has cooperated this year, I can also vouch for the grow bags.  My tomatoes have taken off and I harvest more fruit in a week than I did the entire season last year.  That has created another problem, what to do with the produce.  I started making Pico with the smaller or the bird pecked fruit.  While I still cannot grow an onion, I mix store bought onions along with the tomatoes and jalapenos from my containers.  We now have tomatoes mixed in with many of the dishes I make for dinner and have found myself eating sliced tomatoes as a snack.  That does not come close to using the tomatoes I produce.  When I went to Kansas last week, I took giveaway bags of peppers and tomatoes to my brothers.  Now, what to do with the rest. 

When I went online, I found giveaway bags are a popular promotional merchandise branded with a logo or slogan and distributed at little or no cost to promote a brand, corporate identity, or event used in sales and marketing.  The items are often distributed as handouts at trade shows, conferences, on sales calls, and as bonus items in shipped orders.   The first known promotional products in the United States were commemorative buttons dating back to the election of George Washington in 1789.  During the early 19th century there were a few advertising calendars, rulers, and wooden specialties, but there was no organized industry for promotional items until the late 19th century.  Jasper Meek, a printer in Coshocton, Ohio, is thought to be the originator of the industry when he convinced a local shoe store to supply book bags imprinted with the store name to local schools.  Henry Beach, another Coshocton printer, and competitor of Meek, picked up on the idea.  Soon the two men were selling and printing marble bags, buggy whips, card cases, fans, calendars, cloth caps, aprons, and even hats for horses.  Promotional products are defined as custom printed with a logo, company name, or message.  Since mine were delivered in a plain brown paper bag, they did not qualify as a promotional giveaway, but they did speak to the preponderance of fruit from this year’s garden.

I am not the only gardener to face the daunting task of what to do with an overabundance of tomatoes.  The Mama Natural website is touted as “the #1 natural parenting brand online.”  Over 2 million people visit the site each month for resources to help mothers and families lead healthier and more natural lives.  One of these healthy articles posted in October 2019 explained 28 ways to use extra tomatoes.  The suggestions included sauces (Pico, salsa, pizza, spaghetti, and marinade), juice or paste, cooked or fresh in food, and canning or freezing.  The last two suggestions were to barter or sell them and to give them away.  Melissa is not participating in the farmer’s market this year so there goes that opportunity.  During the pandemic we began a custom of providing giveaway treats for our cul-de-sac to stay in touch with our neighbors.   Giveaway bags of tomatoes is another way to build on the tradition.

Thoughts:  I wrote a previous blog on my attempt to grow tomatoes as a cub scout.  I planted 15 plants and was overcome by the fruit produced.  I provided giveaway bags to the entire community and vowed to never grow another garden.  My thoughts have changed, and now I grow vegetables, and again I have the same problem.  AmpleHarvest.org is another resource for growers to distribute produce from their garden.  This is a national database that links growers with food pantries.  There are three pantries nearby that could use a giveaway.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.