UMaine Extension Gleaning Handbook
"Webster’s New World Dictionary defines gleaning as “to harvest grain left behind by reapers.” The Maine Harvest for Hunger program has adapted the gleaning model to help get more nutritious, fresh food to more community members in need. Thanks to the generosity of local farmers, #MasterGardener Volunteers and other trained volunteers are invited into the fields to harvest designated produce for local pantries and soup kitchens. Learn more at the Maine Harvest for Hunger website.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension considers gleaning to be food harvested/sourced and transported for donation to food pantries and other organizations that provide food for those who are food insecure. This food can come from community gardens, home gardens, farm stands, and farmers markets. It can also be grown on commercial farms, where the farmer allows volunteers to glean on their farm. Crops typically gleaned are those that keep well or have a long storage life. However, even crops with a short shelf life can be gleaned if it is done quickly and the food is properly distributed for consumption or preserved for later use.
#UMaineExtension is involved in gleaning because food insecurity exists in every Maine county. Extension has a long history of addressing the research and education needs of Maine’s farming and home gardening communities with its focus on the Maine Food System. Gleaning is one way to reduce food waste and get local food to its best use—feeding local people—quickly.
Information in this handbook does not necessarily pertain to every gleaner/gleaning group, every time. It is an outline of potential ways to do gleaning. Being organized is essential, whether at a farm, garden, or pantry. Being organized includes knowing who does what, when, and where, so that the food gathered does not go to waste.
All sections can stand alone, so it is not necessary to read this handbook in a specific order. Feel free to skip to the topics relevant to your situation. This handbook is organized from the general to the specific and ends with inspirational success stories and a list of additional resources.
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"Late summer is when squash, beans, flowers, and corn are typically in season. Fall is the season of hard squash, root vegetables, and potatoes, which are long-lasting storage crops. In the fall, apples are also a natural “group glean” for schools, companies, and families. Apple picking is a fall tradition, and this is a good “first glean” for new groups of volunteers. Gleaning can occur in test fields after data has been gathered at educational farms or even at farms that are growing plants to test for seed production. In Maine, #JohnnysSeeds has always been very generous when it comes to gleaning their fields."
Learn more:
https://extension.umaine.edu/harvest-for-hunger/gleaning-handbook/#additional-resources
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