Homestead and Garden, My Little Victory Garden

My Little Victory Garden: “Thank you, Starbucks!”

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Okay, it’s true.  I’ve raged against the machine.  I’ve ranted about diesel fuel being sucked into trucks then its aftermath being spewed into the air I breathe.  And I’ve specifically wailed about Starbucks in general.  I’m all about “keep it local, keep it green, keep it real, know the person behind the businesses you use…”

But I’m also well aware that more than half of the products and services I use are somehow connected to things or people who are NOT local.  And in the winter, when I have to buy produce from the grocery stores on a regular basis, that number might be higher.  And, I also like imported chocolate.  I carefully guard my tiny vial of saffron threads.  And, I fly or drive to explore places in the world I’ve never seen.  So, I try my best to balance my “machine raging” with some sort of tempered logic.  And events like what happened yesterday help with that trying behavior…

You see, Starbucks had a $2.00 special running on their breakfast sandwiches, and if you’ve ever eaten one of their bacon Gouda offerings you’ll know why I was visiting the Hall of Fame Street location at 6:45 in the morning.  I had just witnessed a beautiful sunrise, I had my iced latte and my tasty, cheap sandwich in my hand and was using my foot to open the front door.  Just before my eyes swung upward toward the outside view I was preparing to greet with my happy morning self, I spied a basket I had never seen.  While I was standing there with my leg out in front of me the door swung back, hit it, and reminded me that I was blocking the entrance/exit path while I was staring at this basket.

There, in a long, deep basket in the corner of Starbucks was a big silver bag with a label stuck across the top reading, “For Your Garden.”

Aw, Starbucks is giving me something for my garden!

I backed out of the doorway, set my breakfast down and squatted down for a closer look.  Sure enough, there was one silver bag stuffed with coffee grounds waiting to be taken home.  I looked around the room feeling that all of the sudden this was some sort of competition and the scarce resources were all mine…mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!  I gently lifted the bag up, restacked my breakfast loot, and headed out the door.

The thing is…I did a little research after I got home that night and Starbucks has been giving away their coffee grounds since…wait for it…1995.

Ohhhh.

So, THANK YOU, Starbucks, for doing more than some to give back and renew our natural resources.  And, thanks for giving my garden a shot of nitrogen this week.  It looks pretty happy to me.

(left to right) okra, garlic, tiny cabbages and tiny lettuce, purple potatoes. Yes, I know my okra plants are full of holes from some mystery bug, but the trade off is...no pesticides.
(left to right) eggplant, chocolate bells, Anaheim chilis, all kinds of heirloom tomatoes, Tabasco peppers, and habneros.
(left to right) Chinese long beans, cucumbers, watermelon, a jalapeno and a ton of volunteer tomatoes.

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3 thoughts on “My Little Victory Garden: “Thank you, Starbucks!””

  1. Super entertaining narrative. : ) And what gorgeous tomatoes you’ve grown… I can smell them rm here. May have to haunt Starbuck’s myself this year.

  2. I had no idea starbucks did this! I’ve never seen a basket like that, though my garden recieves a whole lot of coffee grounds just from me… I’ll look into this, though. And I could talk to the independent coffee shop around the corner about doing something like it. -kate

    1. Kate – I was thinking the same thing for our independent coffee shop as well. I think the fact that you had the proactive idea and are considering mentioning it is one of the best outcomes of “spreading the love” around for our gardens, and for our communities – go you! ~ Red Dirt Kelly

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