Veggie Trader is a new website that may well earn a place of esteem in the hearts and modems of gardeners and farmers across the fruited plains.

The innovative website arose from an exceedingly juicy lemon tree that rarely got picked. The lonely lemons inspired gardeners from East and West to consider the question: how could we help ensure that all the extra food people grow gets used and enjoyed?

The Veggie Trader website is their pilot effort to see if they can help more families eat well, make the most of the environment, and put more backyards to work for the benefit of neighbors, community and country.

Veggie Trader is free and easy. It works like classified advertising. You register, then post a listing describing the excess produce you have and what you’d like in return, and then you wait for a response…

Or, if you’re looking for local produce, you simply enter your zipcode and see what your neighbors have available. You can also post specific produce you’re looking for in our Wanted section and see which of your neighbors answers your request.

The Veggie Trader website lets registered users sell, barter or give away your extra veggies to other member who live nearby. The free registration also lets you develop networks so that those who have too many cucumbers can find people willing to swap some tomatoes in exchange.