My father hates apples. He isn’t shy to share this information with anyone at all, particularly myself after I switched to the dark side (his words, not mine). You might find it a bit strange that a man who has devoted his years to stopping hunger with fruits and vegetables hates this particular variety so much. But he has made it very clear to virtually anyone with whom he communicates that apples are simply not acceptable.
I should clarify a bit here: my dad was one of the computer world’s original nerds (possibly not his words this time). He has a computer that he built in the dinosaur ages somewhere in the depths of his man cave. He was somehow involved with the creation of email. He and my mother probably wrote love letters to each other in C++. It should now be obvious why my father hates Apples.
Capitalization is a funny thing, isn’t it?
We live in a day and age where we literally hold any information we want in our back pockets, provided a good internet connection. While my father has thankfully not taken me out of his will due to my little iArmy, he has acknowledged that much of the world happens digitally. That, in large part, is what led to the creation of AmpleHarvest.org as a domain rather than an office.
Since then, AmpleHarvest.org has continued to plow through the digital world. With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts, and an upcoming “IAMA” on Reddit, AmpleHarvest.org is decidedly a web-based utility for backyard gardeners. My father always says that gardeners can eliminate hunger in their communities by reaching into their backyard rather than their back pocket. But the funny thing is, most of the gardeners ARE reaching into their back pockets–for their smart phones! With our beautiful AmpleHarvest.org mobile app, all it takes is typing in a postcode, and soon appears a list of options, all within driving or bicycling distance, to bring excess fresh food that will be graciously appreciated by someone who otherwise might not have such access. It’s really that simple.
Additionally, AmpleHarvest.org’s various accounts are host to a slew of gorgeous pictures of recent harvests, exciting news relating to food politics and recent awards, delicious recipes for your backyard produce, and fun contests to enter for chances to win things such as a gift card to a gardening store. The internet and its mobility is what has allowed for AmpleHarvest.org to become so influential and useful in an imperfect world, where so many people have an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their backyards, and so many others have virtually no access to this luxury. Between AmpleHarvest.org and the power of the internet, hopefully we can continue to even out this imbalance and help to make America a healthier, happier places.
And maybe, just maybe, if we can continue on this route, my dad will stop hating Apples so much.
