As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, this growing season has been largely successful for our vegetables! The crops are more plentiful than expected, which means bountiful CSA shares, a well-stocked farm store, and bulk produce offerings. Even after all these harvests, we still have imperfect but perfectly good produce available to be gleaned from our fields.
Throughout the summer, students from our Summer Farm Camp and Jeff’s Engineering a Sustainable Future classes have participated in gleaning activities. Together, we’ve discussed our core belief: access to fresh, local, and organic food should not be a privilege. Food is the common denominator that we all share. Regardless of one’s age, background, culture, or beliefs, everyone deserves healthy, clean, and nourishing food to sustain them. The kids embraced this message wholeheartedly and were eager to harvest for others—there’s nothing quite like a group of motivated campers working together in a field of Swiss chard!
Each week, we work together to harvest, wash, sort, and pack produce. After making our CSA deliveries, Saul delivers the fresh produce to the Avon Township Food Pantry. Together, we’ve harvested and donated over 1,400 pounds of fresh produce this summer, valued at nearly $5,000. Our donations have included kitchen staples like carrots, scallions, kale, Swiss chard, salad mix, head lettuce, young garlic, asparagus, spinach, and more.
After each gleaning session, we gather for a refreshing water break in the cooler and celebrate the gift we worked so hard to prepare for our neighbors. While the harvest work can be hot, weedy, and repetitive, students were always proud of their efforts and happy to share the food they harvested with others.
Here’s to many more harvests to come!
Your farmers,
Jeff, Jen and the Liberty Prairie team
P.S. If you’re interested in joining us for gleaning, all are welcome to our autumn gleaning volunteer work day in October.