St Ives Community Orchard’s foodshare group joined up with the Cornwall Gleaning Network to pick surplus fruit and veg from farms in 2021.
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers’ fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. It is a practice described in the Hebrew Bible that became a legally enforced entitlement of the poor in a number of Christian kingdoms. In 18th century England, gleaning was a legal right for cottagers, or landless residents who would be allowed to go and pick the left over crops. In a small village the sexton would often ring a church bell at eight o’clock in the morning and again at seven in the evening to tell the gleaners when to begin and end work.
In the modern world, gleaning is practised by humanitarian groups which distribute the gleaned food to the poor and hungry. In a modern context, this can include the collection of food from supermarkets at the end of the day that would otherwise be thrown away.
Other reasons for surplus farm produce is that the market may change, there may be a glut and some are just not up to supermarket standards, being wonky, too big or small. Gleaning gives volunteers an opportunity to engage with the food system hands-on by rescuing fresh, surplus fruit and veg from farms where it would otherwise be wasted, and get it to good causes bringing an age-old practice to avoid waste into the 21st century.
St Ives Community Foodshare group have gleaned produce from Trowan farm, Splattenridden farm and apples from a local garden and redistributed the produce via their own local collection and delivery service, food banks and community kitchens and pantries.
It’s a win, win operation. Farmers reduce waste and people suffering with lack of fresh, healthy food get some.
Gleaning is also a fun, sociable, rewarding and an outdoor workout which can be carried out, even under Covid restrictions. All our teams are fully insured, risk assessed and trained.
The Cornwall Gleaning Network is supporting the incredible work already happening in this county to solve this key issue and that of food wasted on farms in the county. Cornish Gleaners plan to harvest surplus food or pick-up wonky produce and deliver this to food banks and community kitchens. In doing so they are bringing an age-old practice to avoid waste into the 21st century.
Their vision is for a safe future where no one goes hungry and food waste no longer exists; in the meantime, wherever and whenever a farmer has produce, they cannot sell or harvest, a well-trained local gleaning group can help ensure this food reaches the places where it is desperately needed. They are dedicated to ensuring this work is accessible to everyone, so if getting on the land as a gleaner isn’t possible for you there are plenty of other ways you can join this network. The Network is in its early stages so they are looking for all kinds of support.
Sign up HERE
FaceBook group HERE
Email: gleaningcornwall@gmail.com
Phone Holly on 07747 436791
Holly – Regenerative Food and Farming – Cornwall Gleaning Network
‘A third of our food gets wasted, some of it at farm level. This isn’t just a waste of food but carbon! It’s not the farmers fault as contracts get changed, veg isn’t always perfect, occasionally there’s a glut and sometimes it makes no financial sense to collect every cauliflower if the size isn’t right when the pickers go in. We don’t just have food poverty but confirmed malnutrition, as families continue to struggle to both feed and keep warm. We have a small amount of Lottery funding to buy some equipment and insurance and I am hoping to get more funding so we can pay coordinators for their time and all for transport costs into the future. ‘
//www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/tackling-food-poverty-cornwall
Record your glean with the Gleaning Network – //feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/