On Saturday, January 14th, I attended the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Conference. Having only worked for BAG for one week, this was the first event that I have attended and I still had a lot to learn about the organization itself. Luckily, I had the pleasure to be trained on the spot by the knowledgeable intern, Natalie. As the day progressed, I became more comfortable talking about the organization to others. One thing that struck me was how easy it was to tell people about this organization. Once people learned our mission, they saw the intrinsic value in the role and service of this organization. In other words, the mission of this organization sold itself.Gleaning was the word that caught peoples attention most whether it was because they knew the religious reference or because they were interested to know what it meant. In fact Natalie and I both learned that gleaning is not only a Biblical term, but it is also used in the Koran. In the Bible, verses in Exodus (23:10-11) and Deuteronomy (14:28-29; 24:19-21) stress the need for farmers to leave some produce behind for those in need. Leviticus (19:9-10; 23:22) actually mandates leaving the corners of the fields to be gleaned by the poor/stranger. Similarly, in the Koran, emphasis is put on one’s duty to give to charity and not to leave anything to waste (6.141). Additionally, Mary is specifically mentioned as a gleaner in Egypt. (http://humweb.ucsc.edu/gleaningstories/html/charity.html) The historical and religious foundation of gleaning further gives this organization an intrinsic value in society that has been needed throughout all times. Another inspiring note that Natalie and I learned throughout the day was the increased interest in gleaning. Several people from other areas of Massachusetts as well as Connecticut, New York, and Maine came up to us and were interested in starting or learning about gleaning initiatives in their area. Similarly, many farmers from other states and western Massachusetts told us of their desire for a gleaning operation near them or informed us that they were already delivering the surplus produce to food pantries directly! It appears as though overall the idea of gleaning is becoming increasingly popular. This is also promising for the new Massachusetts gleaning program that is just now being started by the Massachusetts agriculture department. During the workshops, Natalie and I visited the other tables that were set up. I was most intrigued by the variety of ways that mushrooms were being used and displayed. First I drank coffee that had been brewed with mushrooms. The organization told us that they wanted a convenient way for the American public to receive the health benefits of mushrooms without having to eat them. Since coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the United States they decided that this was a perfect venue for slipping mushrooms into every day diet. I tasted a sample and while it had a hint of mushroom, I’m not sure I would have noticed it had I not known about the mushrooms initially. However coffee was not the only drink I consumed that had been infused with mushrooms. Natalie and I were also offered mushroom tea which turned out to be surprisingly mild and tasty. Even our lunch was filled with mushrooms. Well not mushrooms in our food but in our conversation. We ended up eating with a man from Maine who was giving a workshop on mushrooms. We had a very pleasant conversation about picking wild mushrooms and I even got his card to pass on to one of my professor’s at Colby. Overall I had a great time representing BAG at the NOFA Conference. Even though I have only been interning with BAG a couple of weeks now, I have enjoyed my work so far and meeting the people who work with BAG. Bright and early on Saturday January 14th I got up to go to the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Conference in Worcester! It was the first time I’d ever been to a NOFA event, the first time I’d met my fellow intern and ride, Kat, and the first time I’d been to Worcester, which I still mentally call War-chest-er. Nonetheless, the day proved to be a success, tiring as these events always seem to be but interesting, fun and educational.The event started off slow with people trickling in for registration, looking for coffee and friends and scanning the booths of wares. Kat and I set up our own table, full of information, our T-shirts, totes, brand new notecards and pictures of our volunteers. More and more people began showing up before the first workshop started at 9am, and Kat and I began answering questions, telling people about the work BAG does and also how they could be involved. With all sorts of people coming up to us we had some trouble determining who was a farmer, who was local, and who thought we were the registration table!
Nonetheless the people were always friendly and we got many interested people who were amazed that an organization like BAG existed. Some were immediately invigorated with the possibilities of expanding this type of work and one friendly man, after hearing only a sentence or two about what we did immediately asked if we took donations, handed over a crisp $50 bill, thanked us for our work and walked away. In fact in the three events I’ve been to representing BAG I’ve noticed that this behavior isn’t unusual. Typically once an event we meet a kind samaritan who is so inspired by the work we do that they immediately donate. Additionally Kat and I were able to meet Representative McGovern, who in October co-sponsored a bill currently before the House to provide a tax credit to gleaners. Ironically I had been telling people about this new bill, which would give farmers a twenty-five cent per mile tax credit for transporting their crops to non-profits, all day before suddenly the man who had proposed it showed up in front of us. After firmly shaking my hand Rep. McGovern talked fondly about his time gleaning on Food Day as I told him how we had been able to go gleaning at The Food Project with Governor Patrick. After taking our brochure and wishing us well, Rep. McGovern moved on, speaking with one of his constituents who had approached him as we talked. In between the sessions Kat and I were able to wander around the other booths and stalls set up at Worcester State and I became particularly enamored with the beehive one woman was displaying. Throwing question after question at her, I was delighted to learn about the temperature of bee hives, how to capture my own bee swarm (after my Dorm days are over of course) and that urban bees often have less exposure to pesticides since their typical range does not include heavily pesticide-covered farms (not with NOFA farmers though!). Later in the day one of our most active volunteers, Allison, stopped by our table and we talked bees again! As an urban beekeeper Allison shared some of what she’s learned, and in typical gleaner fashion we also discussed recipes for kale, a standard conversation topic for any BAG trip. On our next break we ventured into another room and I was able to taste some local honey and ended up purchasing some Blueberry Blossom honey which Kat and I agreed was the best. Further down the aisle I explored books about canning and preserving and then spoke with a man about Kohlrabi, which we had gleaned on my last trip at Kimball Fruit Farm. He let us sample the largest Kohlrabi I have ever seen while discussing his favorite recipes for radishes and other root vegetables. I also heard about Ganoderma, a mushroom that benefits many medical conditions and is being sold to Americans in coffee, and was able to learn about our table-mates, the Quabbin Regional High School Gardening Program, an amazing group of high schoolers who not only run their own garden but also sell their produce at a local farmer’s market, create salves and lotions from their crop and harvest their seeds to sell and for future use. At the end of the day I had accumulated a page of information from farms to look into to a woman to contact in relation to my Senior Thesis paper! Also on the page were suggestions Kat and I had brainstormed for expanding and improving BAG and on our way home we talked them over and remarked on the people we’d met and things we’d learned. Driving back to Boston with the sun setting behind us, we were happy to have had, if nothing else, the opportunity to talk about food and our interests all day to a diverse set of people. -- Natalie, BAG Intern The heart of Boston Area Gleaners can be found in the great relationships we sustain with local Massachusetts farmers. We can never thank them enough for their generosity, but here’s one more as we reflect on our season. BAG Founder Oakes Plimpton and Farmer Steve Violette of Dick's Market GardenSpecifically, we would like to congratulate farmer Steve Violette of Dick’s Market Garden in Lunenburg, MA for being our Top Farmer this season. Working with him has been amazing.Over the course of 15 trips, our volunteers gleaned a total of 421 bushels from his fields. The sheer volume is impressive, the weight of the food is just over 12,000 lbs., and the variety is just phenomenal. Crops gleaned from Steve’s fields have included: strawberries, peaches, nectarines, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, beets, apples, collards, kale, bok choi, turnips, parsley, cabbage, and mustard greens. We have plenty of photos documenting these trips to his beautiful, and at times quite scenic fields. Visiting his farm was always a wonderful experience for us and volunteers. Even more, these 421 bushels are only a portion of his donations this year. Next season you can find him at Arlington’s Farmer Market where he also donates crops to a second’s market we host at Arlington Public Housing. Lastly, we would also like to give special thanks to the two runner ups: Farmer Carl Hills at Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell, MA with 164.5 bushels and Farmer Tim Laird at The Food Project in Lincoln, MA with 277.5 bushels. Thank you to all of the farmers who have contacted us this season, and we hope to hear from you again next year. We could not glean without you! Saturday January 14th and Sunday the 15th at 4:00 ET Food Network had a cooking competition where participants are only allowed to use food that is about to go waste. The show, titled "The Big Waste" says : "First class chefs Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Anne Burrell and Alex Guarnaschelli tackle one of the most massive problems in food today - waste! Divided into two teams, with only 48 hours on the clock, they are challenged to create a multi course gourmet banquet worthy of their great reputations, but with a big twist; they can only use food that is on its way to the trash. The chefs' hunt takes them from grocery aisles to produce farms, and orchard lines to garbage piles, as they attempt to source enough ingredients to feed a gathering crowd. Bobby and Michael square off against Anne and Alex, as they challenge their views of food waste and how and why it is created."After watching the show I thought it touched a nicely upon an important aspect of food waste: America's obsession with the cosmetic appeal of food. Have you ever been in a grocery store and there is someone picking up every apple and scrutinizing it for any blemishes or bumps before putting it in their cart? Have you yourself ever rearranged a fruit display to find the perfect looking one? Well, grocery stores have figured this out. A lot of the food cooked with was discarded because of its appearance. For example, carrots were being thrown away because they were "too small" to sell, but still perfectly edible. As gleaners, we see this a lot. I myself gleaned rows of turnips that were too small to make them worth the harvest, but we managed to get 9 boxes! Even though they were not worth the harvest for a time-crunched farmer, we hope our recipients enjoyed them. (even if they were just a little on the smaller side)
I think of this often when I find fruits/vegetables with blemishes in my fridge. And honestly, if I can cut the blemish off and salvage the rest of an apple, I will! -- Chris, BAG Intern If there is no serious freeze, collard greens can be harvested through January, as well as some root crops and other greens as well. This year's freeze occurred at a temperature of 4 degrees in Concord January 4, 2012. Our last trip was on Monday, January 2nd, to pick collards at Verrill Farm, Concord. Myself, Duck’s stepson and his friend, 12 and 13 yrs. old respectively, harvested 10 boxes and 15 bags of collards (weighing between 12 and 15 pounds each). I delivered all the boxes to Food For Free and CEOC food pantry at Central Square Cambridge the bags, saving 5 bags for Medford Food Pantry Thursday night. The last week of December crews gleaned several boxes of turnips and collards, also kale from the Food Project fields in Lincoln. Earlier in December we gleaned carrots and parsnips and rutabagers from Drumlin Farm in Lincoln and also cabbages and bok choi at Waltham Fields Community Farm, similarly distributed to Food For Free and area food pantries. We also visited Kimball Fruit Farm a number of times to pick perfectly good apple seconds from bins in a weatherproof barn (Brock and (what’s the name of that green apple with some pink, an Irish word) and also Carnival winter squash. Appreciation to the good farmers who let us glean their fields — Tim Laird at the Food Project, Amanda and Andy at Waltham Fields, Steve Verrill and farm manager ‘Pete’ at Verrill Farm, Carl Hills at Kimball Fruit, Matt Celona at Boyce Field, Drumlin Farm. Two other farmers deserve mention, many apples gleaned from Nicewicz Orchard in Bolton — thanks to Alan and his brothers, and Steve Violette of Dick’s Market Garden in Lunenburg—many boxes of apples and greens! Oh, I neglected earlier gleanings of corn and fall lettuce from Brigham Farm, Concord, Chip Pouttasse farmer, and broccoli and else from Brock Farm in Dracut — Farmer Dave! Winter hibernation now! Though we plan to attend the NOFA workshops in Worcester next weekend. . |
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