Waste not want not

When I woke it was dark. There I was sitting in the arm chair with the curtains drawn back looking out the window onto a garden cloaked in darkness. It was only 8.00pm.

My how the evenings are drawing in indeed summer is just a fading memory.

This evening after arriving home your humble servant ventured into the garden and during my walk about happened to notice the bumper crop of apples in my orchard.

My neighbours tree was also weighed down with fruit.

Of course it's currently harvest time and there's lots of ripe fruit hanging on the fruit trees of the town just waiting to be picked.

Sadly I fear most of the fruit will be left to rot which seems such a shame.

My own tree has far more fruit on it than your humble servant will ever consume. As in previous years the excess will be offered to neighbours, friends and selected work colleagues.

Years ago people of the town would readily swap excess fruit and help one another out but with the demise of community spirit everyone seems to be living their own life rather than being part of a community.

The influx of rented out houses in multiple occupancy in recent years has meant there are lots of people in the town with no attachment to the area and consequently they are not interested in the garden.

There must be people out there would be glad of the excess fruit that would otherwise go to waste.

I've probably said this before but it would be a grand idea if a scheme was set up where by people with fully laden fruit trees could be matched up with people wanting the fruit.

Rather than seeing precious food going to waste surely in this ecological age it would be best if it was eaten rather then going to rot.

In years gone by the people of the town would readily be able to sell their own produce at the local market.

I've often thought of hiring a stall on Wycombe market to selling my excess produce but I fear the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding sale and production of food would be just too much hassle.

What do you think?

*Don't forget to read my regular column in this Friday's edition of the printed version of the Bucks Free Press!

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