Are we anteaters or woodpeckers? That’s the question implied in this thought-provoking post from Beyond Bread. (Trust me, it makes sense upon reading.)
After making a distinction between those two animals, the piece delves into a discussion of the noble practice of farmer’s market food rescue. Recovering unsold produce at the end of a market just makes so much sense. If there’s one group of people who hate to waste food, it’s the folks who put so much time and effort into growing it. Plus, fresh produce is hard to come by for soup kitchens and food banks. And fresh, local produce is even better.
Does anyone do this at your farmer’s market? If so, I’d love to hear how it works. If not, the opportunity is ripe for you to impact your community.
Speaking of which…is there anyone in the D.C. area with a large vehicle, some free time on Tuesday nights and a desire to help put good food to use? If so, see the end of the post for contact info.
Comments
2 responses to “Nature’s Gleaners”
Our local food bank is set up at our town’s farmer’s market to collect donations from shoppers. Works great – since I often buy the bushel size of tomatoes or whatever, I can split out a bit to them without really affecting my costs. Or if a farmer has a real good deal, say on zucchini, I buy a little extra and drop it in the baskets.
I suspect some of the farmers also donate leftover produce at the end of the day and fill out a formal donation form so they can deduct it from taxes.
Maryland
Rockville Farmers Market – Saturdays 9 -1
Manna Food
That’s me. I’m the one who collects at Farmers’ Markets. You don’t buy donations. They are donated by the box from individual farmers. It takes time to make good connections, but over the course of a few months, you can usually meet each farmer. Over the summer, I would even do two markets in one day! It takes work, but is worth it. I’m in California, Clayton – a town East of Oakland in the Bay Area.
http://www.thelemonlady.blogspot.com
Press:
http://www.thelemonladynews.blogspot.com
AnnaAndAva@gmail.com