Photo: Suzanne Sausville (WBZ)
SHARON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — When Bill Brule's wife suffered a stroke, he decided to make a major change.
"I didn’t want to put her in a nursing home, so I quit my job to take care of her," Brule told WBZ NewsRadio Sunday.
The former engineer lives at 481 Old Post Rd. in Sharon, an unassuming nine-and-a-half acres of land that has been in his family for 99 years. To make ends meet, Brule began growing vegetables on his property and selling them out of a cart on the side of the road.
"There’s a program in Massachusetts, if you have five acres or more, and you sell produce, you can get a tax break," said Brule, referencing the state's Chapter 61a program.
1 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville (WBZ)
2 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville (WBZ)
3 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville (WBZ)
Brule keeps his prices low (squash is 75 cents, 3 for $2) and uses the honor system, but he noted that people tend to be a little more generous with their money.
"For example, yesterday I put out twenty or so cucumbers and ten or so squashes, and there was $18.50 in the till," Brule said.
With Brule's vegetable stand, the generosity always goes both ways. As a thank you for providing care to Brule's wife after her stroke, first responders and health care workers can take some vegetables home for free.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
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