Jude is an entrepreneur. After our second harvest, he wanted to make some money. He decided we should sell their vegetables at the end of our driveway…that day.

Well, we didn’t have any signs, and it was getting late in the day, so I promised him we could make his dream come true tomorrow.

And, we did! We bought bright orange poster paper, and Jude made signs announcing the sale, the cost ($1 per vegetable), and the time (4:30-6:00). (These signs are absolutely adorable… He was so careful and proudly added a smiley sunshine. 🙂 )

Rex and Jude washed and packaged green beans, basil, mint, and chives, and Morris put them in a box along with some cucumbers.

We carried our chairs, a small red table, a box full of vegetables, and two signs to the van and drove to the end of the driveway. The boys set up their table, carefully placing the best cucumbers and bags of herbs on their table. One sign was staked by our mailbox, one sign was waved in the air by a boy – in 10 minute shifts – at the end of the driveway.

It was hot! Thankfully, the boys brought their sunglasses and water-bottles, and thankfully, our first customers arrived 10 minutes into our sale. Aunt Mary and Cousins Ethan and Eli drove over from a few miles down the road to buy cucumbers. They bought two to marinate with vinegar and onions, and they helped the boys feel successful. Priceless. As they left, Jude said, “It was so nice that they came!”

Many vehicles passed with waves, smiles, turns of the head, but our next visitor was giant tractor we saw coming from a long way away. The farmer didn’t stop to buy anything, but he dropped a 5-point antler shed from his seat and said it was better for us to have it than to have it stuck in one of his tires. The boys were pretty excited to receive this gift!

Our next visitor was our neighbor up the road a few miles, Von, whose family is close friends with the Owens. How nice for him to stop after work and buy a packet of mint and a packet of chives! He gave us sweet corn the first summer living here, and I think we’ll have to drop off some more mint on the house.

A long time passed. Lots of 10 minute shifts switched between Jude and Rex. Morris and I camped out under the back of the minivan with our favorite cat, Coco. We were sweaty, and the boys were a little discouraged, but it wasn’t 6 o’clock yet, and I reminded them we were having a great experience.

With 15 minutes to spare, our next door neighbors, Meryl and Sherri, showed up on their four-wheeler. Meryl had driven by twice checking on his fields; how nice to come back to buy from the boys! They bought three baggies of veggies and helped finish up the night with a success.

The boys headed home at 6 o’clock sharp, $7 richer, and satisfied that they finally sold some of their vegetables. There was a little discussion about trying again tomorrow, but temperatures in the 90s prevented that. Maybe we’ll try our Veggie Stand again next week.

Great job, Boys!