Weekly Garden Swap Sprouts Under BART Tracks

Every Tuesday evening, gardeners from around the area, on bikes and in cars, alone and with their children, flock to tables near a small red tent across from the Albany Community Center to exchange homegrown goods, meet neighbors and see what's ripe in Albany.

The event, a weekly garden swap, has just begun its second month of the season, and already has avid supporters, though new fans appear each Tuesday.

Belinda Lesser, an educator who lives in Albany, said she was driving her son home from camp when she realized the date and time.

"I totally forgot because I wasn't supposed to be in town tonight," she said. "Then I looked at my watch and thought, 'It's Tuesday, I'm late for the vegetable exchange!'" 

Lesser said it was her fifth week at the event this season. She's brought lemons, fava beans and tomato starts, and gone home with a bounty. 

Tuesday night, the tables under the BART tracks held plums glowing red in the sunlight, round Meyer lemons and a variety of herbs and greens, not to mention loquats and crisp green beans grown in a wine barrel. 

The Recreation & Community Services Department started the garden swap last summer but, according to some, it didn't quite get off the ground. This year appears to be a different story as, each week, the number of participants seems to grow. 

"I keep seeing new faces," said Jess Cosby, recreation coordinator, a city staff member who oversaw the July 13 event. Not that he had to do much. Cosby stood back and watched with a smile as neighbors walked up to the table, arms heavy with fruits and vegetables, and spread out their harvest. Sometimes, nearly as soon as items were put down, they were snapped up by those with the quickest fingers. 

Such was the case with a dozen eggs that Pam Tellew, who has four hens, brought to swap. But the evening was rife with the spirit of sharing, as those who missed the eggs were readily offered one or two by the lucky folks who spotted them first. 

Melina Bersamin, a professor of child development who lives in Albany, brought a full basket of zucchini and other items. Her daughter, 4-year-old Cecilia, helped her re-fill the empty container with handfuls of sweet plums from two heaping bowls.

"Take all you want," Avishai Pearlson, who brought the plums, told Cecilia.

"Our plum tree got cut down and usually I make jam, so I was bummed that I couldn't do it this year," Bersamin said. Looking down into her slowly filling basket, she added, "But I think we got enough to do it."

Kira Holmberg, 7, who will be a third-grader at Marin Elementary in the fall, helped her mom Robin Richey choose plums, herbs, kale and lemons from the table.

"I like how you can trade what you have a lot of for some stuff you really want," Kira said. 

Pearlson, a caterer who lives in Albany, had the same thought. 

"I've been giving plums away to friends and neighbors, and I didn't know what to do with all of them," he said. "I thought, 'Oh, it's Tuesday!' So I came on my bicycle and I'm leaving with two baskets filled with better stuff -- greens, onions, lemons, apples, beans and eggs. It feels like I've been to the farmer's market without spending any money."

Tamara Bock moved just four months ago to Albany with her husband and two daughters, Thalia and Sophia, ages 1 and 3. She brought Meyer lemons to share and had selected an apple and plums, along with rosemary and oregano, to take home.

"I saw the little flier and I was curious what my neighbors grow," she said. "I wanted to see what else works in the area."

Lesser said coming to the exchange makes her feel more connected to her neighbors. 

"I love coming to this. It feels like we're supporting one another, as well as getting fresh produce that doesn't travel far," she said. "It's just the idea of neighbors sharing."

The garden swap happens every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on the northeast corner of Marin and Masonic avenues. Participants can bring seeds and plant starts in addition to fruits and vegetables. Learn more here.