If you’re an avid gardener with too much of one type of produce at the end of the season—zucchini, potatoes, beets, peas, or lettuce, for instance—you might find this new site a great resource (started four months ago, actually). Veggie Trader is a free online resource that can be used by gardeners and produce seekers to procure local, sustainable fruits and vegetables from those in their own community.

Functioning much like the bargain ads in your local newspaper or Craiglist online, the Veggie Trader allows veggie growers and veggie eaters to sell, purchase, and barter their way to more sustainable meals.

The system is quite simple. You register to become part of the community and then get started! You can offer to purchase, offer to sell, or offer to trade, and then wait for others to chime in when their supply/demand fits yours.

Need to get rid of some crabapples before they all go bad on your lawn? Log on and offer these up to your neighbors. Want some beets to can for the winter? Sign in and ask the community who’s got the extra produce you’re looking for. It’s free to join and costs nothing to post a listing.

In time, the site hopes to expand its offerings to include other types of food, including dairy and eggs, though those are heavily regulated and will require some additional rules and policies to be in place first.

This new site has the potential to do many great things for the environment: reduce organic waste, cut carbon emissions related to the transportation of produce, encourage local, organic farmers to  sell their wares locally, and foster good green community. So get trading-selling-buying-bartering!