Gleaning - for the determined scavenger

by Farmer Carrie

This evening ends our final vegetable pick-up for the year.  It's been a curious year--not a bad harvest but definitely unpredictable in a stressful sort of way.  I'll be tallying up the final harvest weights and survey responses and get back to you in a few weeks with a summary of the season.  In the meantime, we'd love to welcome any who would like to come for a final gleaning of the last scraps in the field.

Below I've listed what remains in the fields, roughly in order of how much is left.  Where I've given amounts, they are the total amount I think a determined pack of gleaners could harvest (NOT the amount that each person will get--so come early if there's something you're desperate for). 

Turnip greens - At planting time, I failed to communicate adequately with one of my co-workers, and we grew too many turnip greens (a variety of turnips that makes terrible roots but large, luscious leaves) and not enough turnip roots.  As a consequence we have lots and lots and lots of turnip greens left in the field just begging for someone to appreciate them. 
Dill - lots
Cilantro - lots
Parsley - lots
Red Cabbage Leaves - These cabbage plants never headed before the short days ended their growth cycle for the winter.  If you have a good use for the leaves, there's plenty here to pick.  They're tougher than the leaves in the center of a cabbage head. 
Broccoli Leaves - No heads here either, but the leaves closely resemble collards.  There's maybe 5 pounds total.
Watermelon radishes - There are lots of these, but small, which means they're hotter than the ones we've been harvesting for shares.
Beet leaves - Many of the beets never grew roots large enough to eat, but they did make leaves, which are similar to swiss chard.  There's a few pounds here, at least. 
Broccoli Raab - lots of edible flowers, maybe 4 pounds or so of leaves. 
Spicy mix - about 3 pounds (spread out over a large area, so it will take time to pick)
Lettuce - Of the tiny leaf lettuce that's been in your share lately, we have a few pounds.  There's more lettuce as heads, but they are leftover from the summer, and vary quite a bit in bitterness.  You'll find a few sweet heads if you're willing to taste some bitter ones first. 
Arugula - a pound
Mustard - a pound
Spinach - enough for a few salads
Altaglobe radishes (the little red ones) - a handful

The very small amounts of salad greens take a lot of time and diligent squatting to pick.  We recommend bringing a small serrated knife to make harvesting easier.  We're expecting rain all day Thursday, so you should also anticipate walking through some mud. 

PERENNIAL HERBS
There's no need to pick these to the bone, since a little leaf cover will help them survive the winter, but they could handle a little grazing if you're interested.
Culinary herbs -- lavender, oregano, thyme, marjoram
Medicinal herbs -- tansy, catnip, evening primrose, comfrey, mullein
I don't have any idea how to use the medicinal herbs, but the plants are there with some leaves attached.  If any of you know what to do with them, you're welcome to harvest all you want.

Donations...
Given the Thanksgiving season, you might be interested in harvesting some food for your local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.  Many of them would enjoy some of the turnip greens we have in abundance.  It's a muddy trek up a hill to the field, but with a good knife, you could probably pick about 10 pounds in ten minutes.  Once harvested, you can take the greens to an agency near your home, or leave them with us, and we'll drop them off.
Christ House, in Northwest DC, has requested about 20 pounds.  DC Central Kitchen can take anything we have to offer.  I haven't asked, but I have a hunch Shepherd's Table, in Rockville, would also be happy for the greens. 
So if you have a little time to help while you're here, we'd really appreciate it. 

THE GLEANING SCHEDULE
You are welcome to glean any time beginning Friday morning.  We will post signs to tell you where to find which crops.  But sometimes a little personal guidance helps, so we'll be around to walk you to the fields on Friday and Saturday afternoons (about 1pm to dark).  If you plan to arrive around 4pm or later, I recommend bringing a flashlight, in case the daylight fails you before your knees do. 

See you then!
-Carrie

Comments

[Roshani]

Hello everyone,
I just posted some photos I took last weekend.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/globalmosaics
Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
Roshani