BOSTON AREA FARM GLEANING PROJECT
2007 ANNUAL REPORT

         The 2007 gleaning year got off to a good start with an offer from Steve Violette to come out to his farm in Lunenburg (Dick’s Market Garden) to pick strawberries — a new planting was ripe and the old was still bearing.  Four of us picked some 45 quarts, which volunteer Helen Snively drove in to Rosie’s Place,   a woman’s shelter in Boston which also manages a food pantry for their neighborhood.  Come August farmer Violette suggested we glean peach drops, perfectly good there lying in the grass, and then later peaches from the trees.  We again transported to Rosie’s Place and then the Pine Street Inn nearby.  A neighbor farmer, Steve Parker, alerted us to a corn gleaning opportunity.  Again his new field was ready, the old still good.  With the help of  the land owner whose field Steve Parker rents, over several weeks we gleaned over a 1,000 ears of corn! 

         Very much appreciated by the cook at Sandra’s Lodge shelter, and no doubt by the 60 mothers and children who reside there!   Steve Violette also let us harvest a field of corn where the ears were too small for commercial use. 

         September brought us apple picking opportunities at Nicewicz Orchard in Bolton — apple drops, perfectly good apples now not so much used for cider production because of over zealous public health regulations.  We journeyed up there 7 times, once with the AME Food Pantry’s coordinator and her son to pick the apples (almost all Macs) for their pantry in Central Square, Cambridge.  Most of the apples we took to Food For Free, a food bank that delivers to some 60 meal programs in the Cambridge area.  We also gleaned Spencer apple drops from Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell. 

         Late fall brought us to Hutchins, Verrill and Brighams farms in Concord, also Drumlin Farm in Lincoln.  Bok choi, collards, kale, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, lettuce, turnips, rutabagas were some of the vegetables we gleaned.  Most of this produce was taken to Food For Free, but some was delivered directly to the food pantries they serve: AME and CEOC in Central Square, and Helping Hand in Porter Square. 

         To define “we” — the coordinator Oakes Plimpton each time, and for part ofthe season young adults from Eliot Community Services half-way houses in Arlington (paid small stipends—some of the produce offered and accepted at their houses).  Volunteers too, of course—thanks to Hayden Crilley, Steve Ronan, Mary Platt, Laurel and Alex Kayne, Bill Zucker, Jessica Kinner, Jennifer Riley, Phil Lewis, Shelley Loheed, Scott Munsey.  Winter came early this season, freezing temperatures on December 1st (below 20 degrees) and then snow—not like last season when we were gleaning into January!

         The statistics for the 2007 season then are:

         Gleaned from Dick’s Market Garden—53 boxes including 4 strawberries, 21 peaches, 2 apples, 7 beets, 3 cukes, 4 corn, 4 winter squash, 5 celery, 2.5 cabbage, .5 broccoli shoots.  Steve Violette, the farmer, also donated 5 boxes of peach seconds. From Parker Farm we gleaned 15 boxes of corn (5 doz each).  Farmer Steve Parker also donated 13 boxes of mixed vegetables left over from CSA distributions. From Nicewicz Orchard we picked 44.5 boxes of apple drops (primarily Macs), 10 peach drops and .5 pears for a total of 55 boxes. Farmer Alan Nicewicz also donated 14 boxes of Macouns and Fugi apples. From Kimball Fruit we gleaned 11 boxes of Spencer apple drops and 2 boxes of carrots; Drumlin Farm: 17 bok choi, 8 lettuce—25 boxes;back to Dick’s—5 celery, 4 winter squash, 2 purple cabbage, 2 beets, 2 broccoli shoots; Brigham Farm in Concord at the farmstand closing—192 heads of lettuce (12 boxes); Hutchins Farm provided for the gleaning 4 boxes of Chinese cabbage, 6 turnips,  4 rutabagas, 4 cabbage, 3 collard greens, 3 kale, 2 arugula, 1 tatsoi, 1 beet, 1 leek—29 boxes; at Verrill Farm also in Concord we gleaned 16 boxes of collard greens, 10 bok choi, 4 tuscan kale, 1 broccoli shoots—31 boxes. 

         Totals: 233 boxes gleaned; 32 additional boxes were collected for donation. 

         Translating into pounds (boxes of fruit and root vegetables weigh 40 pounds, lettuce and leafy greens 10 pounds, others in-between) my solar adding machine added up to 7,030 pounds.  When you add the additional donated produce boxed and transported, that amounts to over 8,000 pounds of fresh produce rescued and provided for hunger relief programs! Our crews felt good about all this produce rescued, but we also know that with organization and resources we could have gleaned quadruple!  

         The secondary Boston Area Gleaners project is to collect donated produce from  the Arlington Farmers’ Market, with the possibility of collecting produce from other markets’ donations not currently being collected.  Farmers generally do not save fragile produce such as most lettuce and some greens, for by the next day they are really not fresh, but still nutritious and worth saving for hunger programs.  Also produce is donated which has superficial defects of one kind or another, or where too much of one crop is harvested. 

         Statistics were not kept all season, but from June 13th (opening day) through July 25th, 7 markets, 94 boxes of produce and 52 quarts of strawberries were donated by the farmers and transported the next day by the Market (and Gleaning) Coordinator to Sandra’s Lodge shelter and the Red Cross food pantry, both in Waltham.  Starting August 1st when the corn, tomatoes and fruit comes in, a Seconds Market managed by Arlington Human Services is started at the public housing site in Arlington (Menotomy Manor). There residents of the public housing are paid small stipends to manage the market — produce is purveyed at $2 a large grocery bag.  Farmers’ fees are forgiven or lowered to attract more donations, especially of fruit, which would otherwise not be donated.  Up to forty families wait in line for the Seconds Market to begin.  For the first four Seconds Markets 90 boxes of produce were donated, and 30 boxes, which were left over, went to the Red Cross and Sandra’s L.  For the remaining eight Seconds Markets an estimated 160 boxes of produce were distributed—250 total, and to the food pantry and shelter an estimated 50 boxes donated—80 total.  Add the 99 boxes (5 for the strawberries) donated in June and July, that’s 179 boxes. 

         Conservatively estimating the weight of produce donated at 20 pounds a box, that’s approximately 5,000 pounds distributed at nominal prices and 3,580 pounds donated to shelters and food pantries.  

______________________________________________________________________________

BOSTON AREA FARM GLEANING PROJECT
2006 SEASON REPORT

The 2006 agricultural season started out on the wrong foot with excessive spring rains, and some very hot weather in July and August adding to farmers’ problems. Also the Coordinator had little time to glean during the regular season due to managing the Arlington Farmers’ Market and co-coordinating the Busa Farm C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture). But a mild late fall post season provided good gleaning opportunities, particularly at Verrill Farm where too many collard greens got planted, and the collard heads not picked. At Dick’s Market Garden farmer Steve Violette had to turn his attention to preparing future farm fields, leaving cabbages and kale and brussel sprouts to be gleaned by our crews. Steve Parker at Parker Farm moved on to firewood after the markets and CSA season were over, leaving lots of carrots and turnips to be harvested for charity. Generally a person from Arlington’s Young Adult Vocational Program (YAVP) accompanied the coordinator, and several times the co-coordinator of Busa Farm C.S.A.

Seventeen gleaning trips were taken, sometimes harvesting from two farms (Parker and Dick’s located in Lunenburg). Food For Free, a Cambridge food bank that delivers, was the main recipient. Follows the stats: from Dick’s Market Garden we harvested 30 boxes of
curly kale, 4 Tuscan, 20 green cabbage, 15 purple cabbage, 3 broccoli and 16 brussel sprouts amounting to 88 boxes. In addition Steve Violette, the farmer, gave us 6 boxes of butternut winter squash from his bins. From Parker Farm, once with the help of the landowner of one of his rented fields, we harvested 16 boxes of carrots and 8 turnips; in addition Steve Parker gave us 6 boxes of carrots and 5 boxes of winter squash. Verrill Farm in Concord let us harvest 74 boxes of collard greens! We also gleaned 16 boxes of Tuscan kale, 4 purple curly kale, 4 brussel sprouts, 4 beets and 4 Rudabakers, 93 boxes in all, 226 total! I forgot to mention the Food Project Farm in Concord where the coordinator harvested 6 boxes of collards and 2 boxes of leeks. Because of the amazingly temperate weather, we gleaned through January 10th! The boxes were mostly banana boxes gleaned from Stop and Shop in Arlington, larger than bushels. For weight estimates, measuring 10 pounds for the kale, 15 for the collards, broccoli and brussel sprouts, 30 for the carrots, turnips and beets—also leeks, 40 for the cabbage and winter squash, the project donated approximately 4,485 pounds to charity.
As mentioned Food For Free was the main recipient—137 boxes. We delivered 43 boxes to the St. Paul’s African Methodist Church food pantry in Central Square, Cambridge,
17 boxes to the Red Cross Food Pantry in Waltham, 10 to the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee food pantry. 10 to the Western Avenue Baptist Church food pantry, Cambridge, 6 to Helping Hand food pantry in Porter Square, 3 boxes of assorted produce to Arlington half way houses connected to YAVP.

The Arlington Farmers’ Market donations and Market Seconds market program at Arlington’s public housing was carried on again for the 2006 season, but in comparison with the 2005 stats, the farmer donations were quite a bit less due to the difficult growing season. We did not keep statistics, but for the 12 seconds markets I would estimate we presented about 20 boxes of produce each market. The market is managed by Arlington Human Services, housing residents paid a small stipend to manage the market, each person paying $2 for a large bag of produce. Before and after the Seconds Market, produce donations were made to Sandra’s Lodge shelter and the Red Cross Food Pantry, both in Waltham.

______________________________________________________________________________

2005 ANNUAL REPORT

Fourteen gleaning trips were undertaken the 2005 season. From Busa Farm’s Waltham Street fields in Lexington we harvested 60 boxes of corn (close to 300 ears!), most of which we took to Sandra’s Lodge Shelter (much appreciated); also 8 boxes of lettuce and 1 box of spinach (Bread & Justice Food Pantry, Central Square, Cambridge). From Parker Farm we harvested 7 boxes of beets, 3 cucumbers, 5 turnips, 3 leeks, most brought to Helping Hand food pantry in Porter Square, Cambridge. We went out twice to Kimball Fruit Farm and dug 31 boxes of carrots, half to Food For Free and half to the Red Cross food pantry in Waltham. From Dick’s Market Garden in Lunenburg we picked four boxes of turnips, and farmer Dick Violette let us take 12 boxes of butternut squash from his bins — to Food For Free. Alan Nicewicz gave us 7 boxes of apples, also to Food For Free. Drumlin Farm let us take 7 boxes of butternut squash from their bins which we took to the Red Cross food pantry.

All-in-all the gleaning crews harvested or collected 148 boxes of produce for charity, approx. 3000 pounds. Crews consisted of the coordinator plus one volunteer on six occasions, and with a person from the Young Adult Vocational Program in Arlington on six occasions (paid the young men $10 an hour for work not counting transport time). Expenses came to approx. $120 for labor and $200 for transport (640 miles @ 30 cents a mile) — $320.
The Project also brought produce seconds from the Arlington Farmers’ Market, which the Gleaning Coordinator manages, to Sandra’s Lodge shelter and the Red Cross food pantry in Waltham, and when the tomatoes, corn and fruit came in in August, in cooperation with Arlington Human Services, to a Seconds Market at Arlington’s Menotomy Manor Public Housing, where the produce was purveyed @ $2 a grocery bag, stipends paid to Menotomy residents to manage the market. Any left-overs were then taken to Sandra’s Lodge and the Red Cross. Approx. 85 boxes of produce were donated in June and July (40 lettuce, 15 greens, 7 herbs, 11 summer squash, 4 cucumbers, 3 peppers, 2 strawberries, and 1 each of spinach, broccoli and cauliflower). I would estimate the farmers donated approx. 20 to 25 boxes of produce each week for the 12 Produce Seconds markets, which comes to 275 boxes, of which probably 25 were left over to be donated, another 5 boxes donated the last Market day (no Seconds Market then). The farmers’ market fees were forgiven to promote greater donations, especially of fruit (which keep better), the forgiven fees coming to about $1,000. Young Adult Vocational payments (they took part) came to about $120. The excess fees over stipends paid for minor expenses and other Human Services projects.

Note: this is the 2nd Gleaning Project year, about the 5th year of the Second’s Market. In 2004 32 trips were undertaken gleaning 290 boxes of produce! But different circumstances prevailed the 2005 season, flooding canceling the Hmong Farms Bolton Flats winter squash harvest, better produce marketing reducing Drumlin Farm donations and resulting in no gleaning at Apple Field Farm and Verrill Farm, none from Appleton Farm (greater Farm donations to charity).\

______________________________________________________________________________

2004 SEASON GLEANING REPORT

The coordinator, retired, freed from administrative duties at Waltham Field Community Farm, and aware that often farmers do not harvest crops that are slightly damaged, or where there is no market, called up several farmers to ask about coming out to harvest left over produce in their fields. I received quite a good response, almost every farmer having some produce for gleaning, or promising me produce for next season. “Gleaning” means harvest for charity — a Biblical word referring to law and custom of those times requiring farmers to let poor people onto their fields after harvest to ‘glean’ the leavings.

We traveled out to various farms 32 times over the 2004 season. My main helper was Marina Mountraki, a Greek immigrant who loves farms and farming. I also brought along teenagers from a vocational program in Arlington. We visited Drumlin and Blue Heron farms in Lincoln (8 trips to Drumlin, once to both), Verrill Farm in Concord (3 times), Parker and Dick’s Market Garden farms in Lunenburg (8 trips, 3 times to both), Applefield Farm in Stow (9 trips, 3 times also to Hmong Farm in Bolton nearby), Appleton Farm in Ipswich (2ce), West View Farm in Boxborough (2ce). We harvested approximately 290 boxes of produce (used banana boxes, larger than bushels), estimated at 8,000 pounds — 61 boxes of beets, 38 collards, 37 kale, 36 cabbage, 28 winter squash, 22 carrots, 21 misc. greens, 14 turnips, 7 tomatoes,
8 eggplants, 6 leaks, 3 onions, 5 brussel sprouts, 3 green beans, 1 pepper. We donated the produce to Food For Free (120.5 boxes), to Helping Hand (121.5) and AME (6) food pantries in Cambridge, to the Red Cross Food Pantry (16) and Sandra’s Lodge Shelter (6) in Waltham. Some of the produce (20 boxes) we took to a Produce Seconds market in Arlington where low income residents purchase Arlington Farmers’ Market vegetable seconds and bartered fruit for $2 a grocery bag, some of the proceeds going to pay a stipend to Public Housing residents to manage the market. Any produce left over went to the above-mentioned charities. We also harvested 50 large pumpkins at West View Farm for a dollar each for the Seconds Market (we charged $2); additionally they let us pick some small pumpkins and decorative gourds and peppers for free for the Food For Free fund raising dinner. Verrill Farm gave us some extra pumpkins to harvest for Marina’s Greek church.

All told we drove approximately 1,560 miles. We used my 1995 Dodge Caravan for transport and trucking. Figuring the cost at 30 cents a mile, transportation expense came to $458.30. I paid the vocational teenagers $10 a trip, coming to $60, and probably I paid Marina $20 a trip (she worked longer and a lot quicker) amounting to $440. We harvested the hardy greens and root vegetables all the way up to December 14th before too bad a cold snap hit us — 13 degrees in Arlington Heights at 7 a.m., December 15th!