A Gleaning We Will Go

Driving past a huge tree loaded with beautiful red apples that were falling to the ground, I stopped the car and went to the door.  I asked the man that answered if he’d mind if I took some of his apples and cleaned up the windfall for my chickens.  He was thrilled that I had asked. He said, “Please take all you can use! They’re just going to waste because I live alone and can only eat so many apples before I simply can’t eat anymore.”

Gleaning means sharing with neighbors the bounty of fruit trees or picking up the left overs. People who have tired of eating their apples, plums, persimmons, pomegranates, and lemons are often very grateful that someone can eat their leftovers.  

I often stop and ask about fruit, especially when I see that the homeowners are elderly or empty nesters who are unlikely to want to can their produce or make piles of pies.  The man with the apple tree had over 500 pounds of apples on his trees.  I don’t care who you are, there’s no human way to eat that many apples by yourself.  If you’ve got a tree that’s too much for you, you may have been feeling guilty as the fruit piles up under the tree or the deer and raccoons feast on it, knowing that there are hungry people who could use that food.

There are quite a few options for you if you’ve got such a tree.  You can contact Urban Farmer, Siamack Sioshansi of theurbanfarmers.org  who can bring a crew out to harvest your food and they will bring it hungry people.  You can put up a sign, notify your neighbors, and let your kids or grandkids bring their friends over to pick.  This can be a very positive experience for the kids or college students.

You can pick the fruit yourself and bring it to Orchard Nursery who will deliver it to the food bank.

If you don’t have fruit trees, but would like to glean, keep your eyes open for fruit trees, and ask politely if the owner might like to share. Not all want to, they may have plans for their fruit, but be sure to thank them anyway and leave your name and phone number in case they have more fruit in the future. While gleaning keep in mind the fact that you’re on someone’s property and be careful to respect their privacy, their lawn and definitely their tree.  

Be extremely careful about not breaking branches or stripping leaves.  For the health of the tree you want to avoid opening the tree to possible contamination by bacteria and fungus.  Additionally this may be a special tree with happy memories that the owner may feel particularly attached to.

While gleaning if you notice that the tree might be in need of care, you might offer to help treat the tree or prune it if you have the skills to do that.  If you don’t you can recommend the Urban Farmers who offer a service to help your fruit trees thrive.

Also, if you’re gleaning make sure you have a plan for the fruit you are picking.  Be ready to can or freeze or deliver to a food bank. You don’t want to pick the fruit to stop from wasting it only to turn around and waste it in your kitchen.  Host a small canning party at your house if you need help to process it all. Canning is far more fun with friends, so is gleaning, but what isn’t?