will work for food

So as you may know, since the beginning of the year I have been without a steady job. My friend Allison playfully refers to this as being "underemployed." Ahem, yes indeed. I have been picking up projects and gigs hither and thither -- writing for good organizations like this one, teaching green workshops for lovely companies such as this and even dipping my toe into art education for the likes of this amazing museum. It's been rewarding and brings in a few extra nickles, but the work's been spotty and somewhat unpredictable.

However, I have had one steady gig for the past six months or so. Four to five times a week and usually in the morning before heading out to take on the day, I do the social media for Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks, the wonderful, family-owned company that delivers organic & natural foods to people's homes in Chicagoland. That means I might Twitter about the current state of honey bees or post food-related articles by the likes of Mark Bittman on the company's Facebook page. It's not rocket science and it doesn't take up a whole lot of time but it does keep me in touch with what's going on in the world of food, including legislation surrounding food production and the challenges that small family farmers face. Basically, I'm doing work for something that I care about and believe in.

There's one unique aspect about this working relationship. I don't get paid in cash. Rather I get paid in these:

and these

and these

as well as these.

Yep, I barter my writing for a weekly delivery of a very large bin of gorgeous fruits and vegetables, all of them grown organically and most of them (except in the winter) grown locally. It's such a great set up. First of all, it's easier for Irv & Shelly's to pay me in produce rather than cash because produce is what they've got, an entire warehouse in fact. And I get foods that are healthy and taste great, save money that I would have had to spend at the grocery store and all this amazing produce is pushing me to try new things. Last week I made a kick-ass kohlrabi, fennel & parsley salad and normally I don't even give kohlrabi the time of day. (That will no longer be the case.) 

And something surprising has come out of this exchange of services for goods. A few times I've just had too much produce, it literally won't fit in the fridge and there is no way I'm going to let this beautiful food go to waste, it would just break my heart and make me feel guilty.  So I've texted neighbors and asked if they wanted any of my surplus.  And they say yes and come on over and we chit chat and well, talk about kohlrabi or how cippolini onions are just sublime or marvel at the first plums and try and remember who wrote the poem about plums. And I don't know if I can articulate this without sounding a little odd but when you're not working much and your bank account is a little pallid, being able to share something with someone, to give a small gift of something that you earned, well, it feels really great. Especially when that something is a plastic bag teeming with beautiful, fresh vegetables.

I might post later about other things I've bartered for this past year but for now I've got to go get dinner started. I've got a lovely bag of peas just waiting to be snapped.

Comments

[Jennifer Tawse]

I love this story! Did mom ever tell you how her dad would so kindly take "stuff" instead of cash during the hard times? Mom had a strong sense of pride and love in her voice when she would tell of her dad collecting flowers, ceramics, and other things as he did his housecalls. I would also like to read your daily writings-any chance? Love Sister Jen

[Bonnie]

No I did not know that about Mom's dad. It's so sweet. I know Dad's Dad bartered fish for his chiro work. YOU were my inspiration, girl, you have bartered a ton of cool things for massages!