Elisabeth Bennett from the Treasured Coast community recently reminisced about the good ol’ days of barter…

Depression - World War II: We always had enough to eat. My siblings and I used our little red wagons carting our fruit, flowers, vegetables, poultry eggs, mushrooms, newly gathered that early morning to barter at the Village Market where money did not change hands.

Later Dad or Grandpa or both in pony cart, or horse drawn shay would join us, bringing poultry, rabbits, sometimes a sheep or pig or a cow to barter.

We bartered with the village dressmaker, butcher, haberdasher, general store, even the village postmistress whose sons would box gifts we sent to our armed forces.

Wonderful olden times - how I miss them. How much better this world would be if we still bartered.

Little does she know that barter is alive and well and thriving in our tough economic times. See the full story at http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/mar/23/oh-for-the-good-old-day-of-yore-3389/

barter, swap, trade