What does a research farm do when the harvest is over and there are thousands of pounds of produce in the field? Put out a call to glean and hope people respond.
After our research team completed carrot evaluations, we reached out to volunteers to help with the remaining harvest. We were overwhelmed by the response to our “Glean & Clean” call to arms (or shovels, as it were). Our field was full as 30+ gleaners dug, tugged, and scrubbed hundreds of pounds of carrots on a beautiful October evening. The gleaners took home baskets and bags of freshly dug roots, and boxed up washed carrots for distribution to our local food bank, hospital, and school.
Thank you to all who participated. We appreciated your enthusiasm and generosity, and hope you had as much fun as we did. We will definitely make this an annual event!
Learn more about the Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture project.
