All Hallows Giving
Halloween is so much fun! Sometimes I dress for the occasion. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I don’t wait for the holiday to dress.
We always plan to answer the door and give out whole bars of candy. It’s not more expensive than a handful of little bars and feels better to receive, so it also feels better to give. We have a bowl of plastic trinkets for little ones who can’t or don’t choose candy. I have some qualms about spreading cheap plastic junk around, but who are we kidding? Sugar isn’t a harmless thing to spread around either. It’s an annual indulgence that the adults often cull after the overabundance is forgotten.
A few years back, I saw that some people offer a russet potato. Mom called those “Irsh” potatoes, one syllable. I had no idea she was saying “Irish” until years after I was grown, moved away and having a light bulb potato famine moment. Epiphanies aside, I just had to add that to my repertoire, not just for the novelty, but it’s also real food with minimal packaging (none if you grow your own) a winner in every way! So, in the middle of my goodie bowl there’s a large uncooked potato. Last year I forgot and ran out last minute to get the spuds. Glad I did. One of my regular takers was looking forward to it.
This year I saw a charity advertisement for Halloween themed milkweed seeds to support Monarch butterflies (repeatedly). The packaging was themed and cute. The pricing was “Well, it’s a donation.” Drilling down, I read that the seeds were native to the midwest, but they didn’t give scientific names, or even specific common names, so I couldn’t tell if they would be the varieties also native to Georgia. It matters. I don’t want to cause harm while I’m trying to help. Looking further, I discovered a one star rating for the charity. It wasn’t a buy decision based on the product or the charity, but I still liked the idea to offer native seeds.
Not to be foiled, I remembered that I’m in a book club with the chairman of the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District and was going to be at a location where the organization distributes small native seed packets. They don’t come with cute Halloween art, but are packaged in biodegradable paper and most importantly, they list every seed that might be inside by scientific name. They are all locally native, locally sourced, helpful to the habitat around the Trick or Treaters who will be coming to our door, and free! I feel really good about spreading that around. It will support many species, not just the charismatic flagship species that everyone knows they want to protect.
Our granddaughter loves all the butterflies that come to our yard, but she’s skeptical. I’ve been surprised to see how many kids don’t choose the sugar when they have all the options. I can’t wait to see how many takers we get on this option!
Follow up:
The candy bars, as always, were a hit. I thought I wasn’t going to get a taker on the potato this year. A little girl, maybe 4 years old, said “I want the potato” grabbed and then said “Wait, what is this?” I said “A baking potato.” And then she, forgive me, dropped it like a hot potato. Later, my regular came and was happy to see me still offering it up.
Some people, maybe even half, were confused by the seeds. Still excited by full sized bars, some didn’t notice they could also have seeds. When the biggest group came I called their attention to the seeds. Some took them. Some looked confused. Some littered them on the sidewalk after they left. 2 or 3 thought it was cool. Most of the seed packets were taken by the end of the evening.
Russ spread 3 packs of the seeds on land where he had access and permission. If just one of the give-away packets gets planted it could replace as many seeds as I gave away, and if allowed to thrive, multiply more each season when scattered by birds or other animals. I think I’ll do it again next year. I’ll probably make a sticker or some sort of packaging that says a little more, and call it a win if even one pack gets planted and nurtured.
The book this week is Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
Have a glorious day, and we’ll see you on the trail.
