Big switch: Jade Kane, Candice Szabo and Annie Bruns from Kennaugh’s Garden Centreare excited for the start of the crop swap this Friday. Photo: Shannon Colee
Photo by
Shannon Colee
When Candice Szabo and Jade Kane from Kennaugh’s Garden Centre realised that there were no local crop swap options, they set about fixing it.
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“Echuca doesn’t really have anything like (a crop swap) on offer. So we thought it’d be really cool for the community and a good way for us to offload our produce a little bit as well,” Ms Szabo said.
“With the cost of living crisis at the moment, it’s really cool to be able to offer something like that to the community.”
Missing: Candice Szabo and Jade Kane were surprised when there was no local crop swap already in Echuca. Photo: Shannon Colee
Photo by
Shannon Colee
For those who haven’t been to a crop swap before, community members are invited to come to the store and, when dropping off their own donated produce, take something home with them.
“Bring your fruit and your vegetables, of course, but also your preserves, jams, relish, cut flowers, and cuttings,” Ms Szabo said.
“It’s basically no meat or poultry or dairy. So, anything that’s perishable in that way. Except we are accepting eggs. So that’s the only rule.
“Traditionally, it is like a monthly event, but we are just going to have a permanent table here all the time so that people can constantly access it.
Ms Szabo said that, so far, the community response has been extremely positive.
“We weren’t expecting such a massive response from the community when we posted,” she said.
“But lots of people want to get involved, and it’s fantastic actually to be able to do that, and it’s a perfect place to host it in a nursery.”
Growing her own produce is a huge source of joy for Ms Szabo.
“It’s really rewarding and (has) so many benefits,” she said.
“It tastes better, it’s cheaper because seeds and seedlings are cheaper, you’re supporting yourself, and you are not supporting the big supermarkets.
“It’s just really rewarding to grow your own produce and be able to make things out of it and gift it to people.”
The crop swap opens on Friday, February 9, at Kennaugh’s Garden Centre at 16 Cornelia Creek Rd, Echuca.
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