Saturday, May 30, 2009

Your Neighbor's Garden

After a lazy start to our Saturday, we decided not to hit the farmers market for once. (The thought of coming home without produce depressed me.)

Instead, on our afternoon outing, we decided to check out Your Neighbor's Garden near 51st Street and Michigan Road.

Your Neighbor's Garden is a farm stand within a private home, and it's worth the drive if you're on the northwest side of town. Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood (look for the "produce" sign by the mailbox), Your Neighbor's Garden offers produce about as local as you can get - a few feet away, in many cases. What they can't grow, they bring in from other Indiana producers (with the exception of some California morels they had on a high shelf.)

It was a fast stop, and great for a family with two tired kids. Tucked back by the garage, the small air-conditioned shop was a treat to visit. Thick, leafy bunches of lettuce. Green onions the size of a quarter. Asparagus as thick as markers. Tomatoes just at a toddler's reach (we had a tough time convincing him they weren't "balls," his new fascination.) And, interestingly, in an age where few people trust others to write a check, the owners have an honor system if you've forgotten your checkbook or cash - simply pick up an envelope and mail your payment in!

Of course, being a parent, I love the history of the stand that I found on their Web site:
The GARDEN has been a labor of love since its beginning when it began as a
family project. When Greg (9) and Anne (12) asked me if they could have a
lemonade stand, I suggested that they could probably make more money selling the
excess vegetables from my backyard garden.

Today, they grow on 2 acres within a mile of their home. Your Neighbor's Garden is at 5224 Grandview Drive in Indianapolis (east of Michigan Road). Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

If you're not headed to Indy's northwest side any time soon, you can check out Your Neighbor's Garden's produce at several other farmer's markets, including Broad Ripple, Zionsville, Irvington, City Market, and 38th and Meridian.

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