One of the greatest aspects of growing your own food is sharing the results with friends, family,and your community. After a harvest, you could host a dinner party, gift produce to friends and family, or donate surplus to a local food bank. Sharing the bounty of a harvest gives the giver a deep pride in successfully growing food and being able to sustain others. In addition, the process can build a deeper sense of community through witnessing and connecting with the incredible processes of sustaining ourselves.

We are all temporary visitors to the spaces we inhabit and there is a lot to be thankful for — even in the trying times of the Anthropocene. Gratitude as self-care has been shown to have strong positive effects on mental well-being, meaning everyone can benefit from a little more gratitude in their life. One way to do this is by simply giving thanks for a meal or the ingredients used to prepare one. Such meals are even better if the food was grown or sourced locally and then the waste is composted to go full circle back into the land from which it grew as nutrients.

There is a burgeoning economy dedicated to sharing, referred to as “the Sharing Economy,” whereby people trade, barter, or provide goods and services without the exchange of currency. If one is fortunate to live in a place with plenty of resources it makes sense to focus on quality over quantity and distributing the excess to others who may not have enough.