Reduce food waste with gleaning

Do you enjoy being outdoors and eating fresh produce? If so, you may want to try gleaning. This activity combines both these elements and helps reduce food waste. Here’s what you should know.

What’s gleaning?
Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover or overlooked fruits and vegetables from fields and orchards after they’ve been commercially harvested. This practice limits food waste by allowing people to pick produce before it’s thrown away or no longer edible. It also allows people to eat fruits and vegetables that don’t meet the strict aesthetic requirements of retail markets.

How does it work?
Gleaning has been around for hundreds of years and was often practiced on grain crops. However, today it applies to a wide variety of produce, including blueberries, strawberries, apples, squashes, pears, cucumbers, and more. The harvested food is usually divided between volunteers, producers, and community food banks to help those in need and prevent large quantities of fruits and vegetables from going to waste.

You can enjoy fresh, local food and save on your grocery bill by looking for gleaning groups in your area.