Apples and Cider at Minea Farm in Redmond, WA [Gleaning the glebes]

January 21, 2008

Fascinating Blanc! The full name for this age-old practice is " gleaning the

glebes " . This was a common practice on church lands and has been a central

component of community-based charity for centuries, though it's virtually

disappeared now in the U.S. as you say. Many, many people can be fed from

what is left behind in the fields. And it's not just the " bad stuff " , it's

just whatever the harvesters left behind.

The " glebes " are what's left behind, and " gleaning " is the act of collecting

it.

Best,

Elchanan

_____

BlancW [blancw]

Monday, January 21, 2008 10:43 AM

Re: Apples and Cider at Minea Farm in Redmond, WA

If you go, Nora, tell him I sent you. : ) Mr. Lee Minea and I were talking

about orchards and apples and how it used to be that there were " gleaners "

who would be allowed to come by after the regular paid pickers were gone and

'clean up', taking the not-so-good apples away for free, except that this is

not allowed any longer because of the fear of law suits in case anyone got

hurt accidentally. He said that he and his wife started their business that

way, getting free apples. I told him there was someone on the raw foods

mailing list I'm on who goes out to all these places in Eastern Washington

and does just that - picks fruit from trees then brings them back for us;

that in California you would just knock on people's doors and ask them about

getting persimmons from their trees. And he said he used to do that, too!

Blanc

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