A recent decision by the Denver city council will improve access to fresh produce throughout the city and in particular neighborhoods that are considered "food deserts'. On Monday night, the council approved a local ordinance allowing gardeners to sell surplus produce from their own yard or community garden plot. It's the sort of thing that went on without question, years ago. Sometimes a neighbor drops of extra zucchini as a favor, other times, you offer to pay for the trouble they went through to nurture tomatoes and kale. However, in the past twenty years, regulations became more common than sense, and selling food without a license became something to avoid.

This new ordinance though, will make fresh food more available in neighborhoods where grocers are scarce, or small enough that shoppers can't count on the vegetables to still be fresh. It's a step in the right direction of addressing 'food deserts' in urban areas, to provide a greater abundance of fresh, healthy foods.

Not to be ignored, is the benefit of added income for a hobby gardener to simply sell what they grow. They only need to purchase the appropriate permit from the city, at twenty dollars, for the right to make a little money from one's surplus.

Source: The Denver Post