This is an honesty box, at least that is what we call them in Australia. You may know them by a different name – roadside stall, farm stand, or perhaps there are none where you live and the concept is foreign to you
In Australia, the humble honesty box can be found in almost every region in the country.
It is a system where property owners put out produce for sale, that they have grown or made, in a little roadside booth. The honesty part comes from the fact the stall is unmanned, no one is watching the transaction. The seller relies on the integrity of the customer to pay for the goods by placing money in a cash tin provided. Many different people have honesty boxes, not just commercial farmers. There are small backyard growers with a garden surplus or with over active hen layers, hobby farms, jam makers or those that simply love to share abundance.
Why I love them
I love the simplicity of the transaction, the money goes directly to the grower. I love that trust is placed in community. Prices are cheap and there is always the surprise of the find. You never know exactly what delicious goodies are tucked away in the stall.
It is local, freshly picked, in season and in many cases, organically grown. I love finding honesty boxes when I travel. It is a way to feel the provenance of your food. Standing there on the road side soaking up the countryside, you get to take home with you a little bit of that place and taste the terroir.
I hope our social climate never changes to the point they are no longer viable options for growers. I feel blessed that they even exist.
Crypto-currency can replace the eroding trust
Most Honesty Boxes accept only cash. I did come across one potato stall in Western Australia that had the option to do a bank transfer. PayPal would not work in this enviroment. Some of the items purchased are cheap and the merchant fees would eat into the profits for such small purchases.
Despite the general goodwill, money tins nowadays are usually welded to the stalls. This does not always prevent theft. There is of course stories of people robbing honesty boxes. The most common problem is people stealing the cash tin. The fact honesty boxes are still here in Australia, means on a whole there is still an intrinsic trust in others or perhaps a lingering hope of that trust.
But the future of honesty boxes is looking bleaker. Some stalls that have operated for decades have shut due to repeated theft of the money tins. For the past 8 years, I have been visiting a little honesty box in The Channon, a little village about three hours drive from me. It is the quaintest most delightful stall that sells an eclectic mix of produce, jams, plants and herbs of the most unusual varieties. The chilli jam is divine as is the sweet potato relish. I have bought jakfruit, arrowroot, fresh tumeric, galangal and even tried the lions tail (a legal alternative to cannabis that can be smoked or made into tea).
On one of our more recent visits to The Channon honesty box we saw a note on the chalkboard shaming people who stole her tin. The next time, the chalkboard described how the stealing was affecting her, the disillusionment and her devastation that a few scum bags are ruining such a lovely thing. On our last visit there was a note asking customers to toot the horn once they have left the money so she can come down and empty the tin. This is my favourite honesty box ever and I really want it to stay around.
After I loaded our car with all manner of spray free delectables my husband and I spent the rest of our drive home talking about how crypto-currency is a perfect solution for these micro-transactions. The system could even secure the produce and only release a lock upon payment. Unfortunately while the uptake of crypto-currency is growing in Australia, I still have to basically explain it from scratch to anyone I mention it to. Not enough people use it yet. That said, the nearest bitcoin ATM and shop that accepts bitcoin is only 11 miles away from The Channon honesty box. So there is crypto in this part of the world!
Tomorrow I am going on a road trip (foot loose and fancy free – yay for babysitting grandparents) and I will be swinging by The Channon honesty box. I hope it is still operating, it has been a few months since my last visit. I might even drop her a thank-you note in the tin and suggest she look into bitcoin. Revolution has to start somewhere right!
Until next time
xx Isabella