denninmi asks what to grow, what is needed and appreciated. At the food bank near us they prefer "normal" storelike veggies...ie relatively hard red tomatoes, not the yellows, or blacks,or yummy but easily bruised heirlooms. Orange carrots, no "rainbow mix". Red radishes, no watermelon radishes or Easter Egg mix radishes. Eat the exotics you grow yourself. Most clients do not want to take a chance with something that doesn't look "right". Also, produce that can be kept for a few days without refrigeration is good. I wouldn't bring them young lettuce unless I knew it was an amount they could distribute that day. Consider how long it takes to harvest what you are planting. Do you want to pick lots of beans, tiny cherry tomatoes, or peas? Some people enjoy picking them and would donate them. I don't. I'm better off with peppers, good sized tomatoes, small to medium zucchini, small watermelon, and cucumbers. Root crops, ie. carrots, beets, are great but they should be sprayed off well and delivered looking much like store or farm market items. Fortunately, they have a longer harvest window and you can choose a day to harvest when you have time to hose them down. Try to bring good looking produce. Don't give them your rejects. You want to encourage people to eat healthy foods and attractive items are great ways to do that. Realize that many volunteers work at some food pantries. Most are wonderful, but you may run into some who don't like fresh veggies to eat themselves and may not praise you for the wonderful things you bring. It took me awhile to get over things said by one volunteer and I don't think I'm very easy to offend. (That day I ended up giving most of my donation to a couple very appreciative clients out in the parking lot!) But other helpers working different shifts let me know they were very thankful for produce that home gardeners donated. Try checking with your local pantry now. See what their set up is, when they are open, what storage they have available. Ask for their suggestions and push beyond the probable first response of "anything is welcome". And than choose things that would help the food bank and that you enjoy growing and harvesting. I like the suggestions of other ways to distribute food such as through schools or churches. I'm going to be on the lookout for additional places or people that are nearby that may be good distribution connections. I hope everyones' "extra" rows grow especially well this season.

"oops" : toward the end of the previous post, next to the last line, the phrase "more bigger harder" should have been, "more big hearted"! Also, I neglected, or didn't get around, to explaining in my first post, why my idea for "community growing" of one sort or another, now has with it an idea of aiming to get recipient clientele involved in some way (helping grow, helping pick) with the efforts: 1. it'd seem like client helping might help them value, and thus help them be very likely to actually utilize more of or all of, the produce they receive. 2. this I think might help in the acquisition of a growing site, maybe by recipients' hands on helping helping show their worthiness of assistance/chance to assist themselves, to potential site donors if any are a little conservative in their thinking. 3. ... because picking, toting, and delivering things, can be quite a bit of work--more than might be fully anticipated. ...Again, this is just my take on things, as this discussion gets started, and I don't mean to detract from the original idea, which, after all, I do think is excellent and much along the lines of , for example, former US "Victory Gardens," although along with Victory Gardens, there were also I believe similar projects more like "Victory Farms," manned oftentimes by schoolchildren during their summer vacations. Partly just offering my .02, while also seeking to "publicly" wonder a little, about just how much demand and potential actual usage may actually exist, for vegetables among the public in general, while maybe especially among potential client groups. I often wonder, just how much quantity do people really eat, especially maybe more "average" orlow income groups, of vegetables? Of fruits? Of fruits vs vegetables. And which is better for giving away? For children,which , vegetable or fruits, is more worthwhile to try to give away or promote? Vegetables because they are both very nutritious and also often non-sugary? OR fruits, because their sweetness may make them more acceptable to children--though if that sweetness leads to a neglect of vegetables, or much development of "sweet tooths,: maybe fruit is a little less ideal to promote than may be seemed? (P.S. I hope these posts are appropriate enough and "on topic" enough; it's been a while since I've frequented this forum, but and having some things to say, I 'm motivated here to just "go ahead" and hope I'm on target...)

Depends a lot on where you're building. In some places you might be able to qualify for a loan by working through one of the "construction consulting" companies like OwnerBuilder Network or UBuildIt or Build4Yourself or by hiring someone with a license to be your on-site supervisor. In other areas, there are banks that specialize in making owner-builder loans. In others (like mine) becoming a registered "builder" is as easy filing a little paperwork with the state and paying a registration fee - then, once you're a registered builder getting a construction loan becomes a whole LOT easier and banks don't seem to care if you're building your own "forever home" or a spec home you plan to sell. You might also try talking with a local "mortgage professional" since they may already know which banks are likely to approve an owner-builder construction loan. And, depending on where you live here are some websites that might be helpful: http://ownerbuilderloan.com/ http://www.buildmax.com/ http://www.nationwideconstructionloans.com/ownerbuilder.php http://www.ubuildit.com/ http://www.myconstructionloan.com/owner_builder.htm http://www.constructionloans.com/html/owner_builder_programs.html http://ownerbuildernetwork.com/ http://www.build4yourself.com/ http://lfshomeloans.com/construction/owner-builder-construction-loans.html

roflmao!!! Are you trying to buy OUR DREAM HOUSE??? Seriously, we're having the same problem. "Our" dream house was foreclosed early summer '07. There a recorded foreclosure deed. The financial institution on the deed, however, swears that they do NOT own the property. Well, OK. The original lender is BK. Even the BK Court won't fess up to having the house on their property list. Things you can try... Bankruptcy filings are public information. So, in theory, you can wade through your district's filings & pour through the pages & pages of documents attempting to trace the property's movements. It's not an easy task. Stuff is available online. You can phone the tax assessor's office & ask who's paying the taxes. Call that institution. You can hire an attorney to trace ownership. You can also phone a title insurance company & ask if they offer such a service. Also, try a few appraisers...they may be willing to give it a go. And, for Heaven's sake...if you figure out how to do it simply please let me know!!! /tricia