A Small Harvest Is Still Worth Sharing

What small garden gift would you like to receive? A handful of herbs, two ripe tomatoes, flowers tucked into a jar? You can sign me up for all of the above! Even the smallest harvest is worth sharing because the recipient likely does not care about the size of the gift.

Recently, we had an abundance of produce, and everyone enjoyed the bounty. Right now, as the summer days are drawing to an end, tomatoes are in abundance but everything else is dwindling down. This doesn’t mean the sense of abundance is gone, though, just because the harvest is small.

The Stewardship of Sharing

A simple gift of a few saved coriander seeds from the cilantro that once flourished, or a single beautiful sunflower are very thoughtful gifts to give. Small acts matter. They keep good food and flowers from being wasted. It gives you the opportunity to preserve gardening traditions. And lets you continue to share your love of nature with the people you love.

Stewardship is the practice of caring responsibly for what has been entrusted to us such as our land, homes, resources, communities, relationships, and even our own time and well-being. It begins with the understanding that our choices affect more than the present moment.

Stewardship matters because small choices accumulate. No single person must solve every environmental or social problem, but each of us can tend our own small patch of the world. When we do, we protect valuable resources, strengthen our communities, and make a more thoughtful future possible.

At its heart, stewardship is not about perfection, control, or doing more. It is about paying attention. We notice what needs care, recognize what we have to offer, and respond in a way that honors both today and what will come after us. Like a gardener improving the soil for plants they may never personally enjoy, a good steward understands that some of the most meaningful things we cultivate are gifts for the future.

Sharing is an everyday form of stewardship. One garden gift, one personal memory, or one gardening tip given with your gift are all acts that make the world brighter.

What Will You Share This Week?

Sharing doesn’t have to mean growing more, cooking more, or creating more. It’s simply taking a look at what you have and determining or asking who can use the small harvest you have to spare. Here’s a few ideas:

• a few tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or zucchini from that day’s picking
• small bundle of freshly cut herbs
• Seeds gathered while deadheading
• a little bouquet of flowers already being trimmed
• an extra jar of something they were already preserving
• a favorite recipe that uses a seasonal harvest
• extra potting soil, mulch, straw, or compost
• ten minutes of watering for a neighbor who is away
• a quick garden tip learned through experience
• the name of a reliable local grower, farm stand, seed library, or repair person
• a photo or kind note celebrating someone else’s garden
• an invitation to sit on the porch and enjoy tea made with garden herbs