What is gleaning? It falls into that broad category of words that you kind of know that conjure indistinct images of vaguely familiar activities like, say, glamping, galivanting, larping or loitering. Yes, perhaps you’d know it if you saw it. Or perhaps not.
Really, it’s a simple idea betrayed by an overly abstract word, quite the opposite of things like math or the big bang (complicated ideas betrayed by overly simple words).
Gleaning is the harvest of leftover, unneeded or commercially non viable crops from farms. The harvest is usually performed by volunteers and happens at the direction and permission of the farmers with the dual goals of mitigating food waste and feeding food insecure populations.
More simply: it’s a second harvest for the underserved.
As a practice it has its roots in biblical times when Hebrew farmers were mandated to leave a portion of their crops in the field for food insecure villagers to harvest. In the millennia since, gleaning mostly faded to obscurity, with its few moments of prominence more so defined by controversy than widespread support. It is only in the last decade or so that the practice has begun to enter the mainstream again, though, with a few notable updates to the methods.
Due to the modern realities of scale, land use and geography, it is no longer realistic (or inclusive) for gleaning to happen in a fend-for-yourself type of way. While the image of a solitary villager combing farm fields for personal need carries romantic sentiments and important historical context, the success of present day efforts relies on collaboration between many businesses and organizations and the creation of centralized hubs.
I don’t have experience harvesting vegetables, is that okay? “No experience necessary!” says Kristy Douglas, dedicated gleaner since 2018. “I speak from experience when I say you won’t be the first gleaner new to harvesting vegetables. Before gleaning, I had no prior experience with gardening, and my familiarity with raw vegetables was mainly restricted to the clean, glossy varieties that live in the grocery stores.
“At my first glean we harvested leafy greens, and I asked another gleaner if I was cutting the leaves the right way.
“‘You’re doing it right,’ she said. ‘Only that’s not the arugula. Do what you were doing, but in this row.’
“In my defense, that weed and the arugula could have been cousins.
“Our team leaders are knowledgeable of the farms and the vegetables we glean, and will show you how to harvest them. Plus, we like to work in twos or small groups, so there will always be a friendly face nearby willing to help with that pesky arugula.”
How physically challenging is gleaning? “Our gleaning group is primarily made up of women aged 55 and older (although we would welcome with open arms men and younger women) so we tend to be mindful of our body’s strengths and weaknesses,” answers Kathie Duncan, dedicated gleaner since 2016.
“We work together to make tasks easier (lifting heavier things with 2 volunteers) and never ask any volunteer to exceed their limitations. We generally spend two to three hours in the field picking vegetables which are then transported back to MCHPP for distribution.
“Gleaning is a very wonderful opportunity to get out on some of our local farms and see how our food is grown. If you like being outside with a group of like minded folks, can stand some bending and lifting, please give us a try … you’ll most likely be glad you did!”
Dave Baecher is coordinator for Merrymeeting Gleaners. The full Merrymeeting Gleaners newsletter can be found at mchpp.org/gleaning.
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