You may recall the term “gleaning” from your Sunday school or temple classes. Gleaning means going out into the fields after the reapers have harvested the crop, and picking up grain or produce that was left behind. Biblical growers would sometimes leave extra on purpose, so that their poorer neighbors would not go hungry. Nowadays, gleaning is back, as kindly folks let groups like Second Harvest come to their land to collect apples and other foods that would otherwise go to waste. Marin Organics, an association of organic producers and businesses, has a gleaning program that in 2009 collected 200 boxes of carrots, greens, potatoes, and strawberries which were donated to schools and needy families.

[news from the Marin organic newsletter 4/16/10; website at marinorganic.com]