If you are of The Greatest Generation, those born prior to the Baby Boom that followed the return of the GIs from World War II and Korea, you’ll remember the real definition of gleaners. They weren’t the philanthropic organization that they are now, although the Gleaners do take in some surplus foods.
Gleaners were those folks that would go through farm fields after the harvest and pick up the fallen produce that remained, “gleaning” the rest of the food that would otherwise have gone to waste. Farm machinery couldn’t (and still can’t) pick as much as humans can with their many fingers and opposable thumbs. It might just be more efficient and economical to let the crop lie where it fell rather than stop to pick it up. Farmers would hire or even just allow gleaners to go through the orchards and fields to pick what they could. For some, gleaning meant not going hungry through the winter during lean times, especially during the Great Depression. Those picking up the dropped or economically unfeasible harvest could preserve the foods as methods became known or store them in a root cellar for overwintering. There are even references to gleaning in the Bible; it’s truly an ancient process performed the world over.
So why do I mention gleaning?
If you live in a farming area, you could possibly save some money by arranging with a farmer to glean their fields. Some might charge you a small amount dependent on the weight or how many bushels or whatever, you might have to pay a flat fee, or you might get lucky and be able to collect remainders for free. It kind of depends on the traditions and economy in your area. You can put an ad in the paper offering your services or even knock on doors, although that might get you more than you bargained for – always consider your safety. You can ask at your religious services if anyone needs or would allow a gleaning. Word of mouth might link you with a farm you can pick through. Then, you might have access to good quality foods, perhaps some Ugly Produce as I mentioned in a previous post, but possibly even things you’ve never tried. You can reduce your food bill, help a farmer keep pests and vermin out of the fields, and once you “put up” some of the items you’ve collected, you will also have a stock of food on hand for those times of need.
Thrifty Tip of the Day: Try keying in the the words “free sample” or “sample” in the search bar of an online store you like and see what comes up. One of my favorite eco-conscious “stores” online provides a few items free in sample sizes. I only found them because I needed a tiny bit to meet the minimum order, so I was looking around, sorted some category results by low-high price, and to my surprise, there were a number of samples available to add to my cart for $0.00. I selected a few and sure enough, they were included in the box when it arrived. Not tiny samples, either, in this case. I won’t mention where, in case they don’t appreciate my publicizing their freebies!
thriftysoul 