By Asha Flemons
Last year in September, I participated in an apple glean along the Lancaster canal. “Gleaning” is an ancient practice where leftover crops are collected from farmers’ fields after the main harvest. In a more modern sense it can also involve gathering unclaimed produce outside of farms before it goes to waste.
A local resident got in touch with FoodFutures as he had noticed apples falling on the towpath of the canal near the Gregson Community Centre, and making the surface very slippery. He organised a glean on an afternoon in September, and my friend and I headed to the canal where we were met by telescopic apple pickers and a stepladder. It was time to get apple picking!
Over the course of three hours we managed to collect over 50kg of apples, narrowly avoiding swans and hungry ducks. A third of these apples came to Lancaster University’s Wildlife and Conservation Society where we made communal apple crumbles. The rest were donated to Eggcup and were distributed to local residents. As the Wildlife and Conservation Society, we wanted to promote the importance of combating food waste among our members.
Another glean was held on the ECOHub at Lancaster University Campus. A student who attended the glean told me:
‘‘Led by Jay from Eggcup, we embarked from the ECOHub towards Forrest Hills, where masses of apples were just waiting for us. Upon arrival, we immediately set to work using the apple pickers to glean the apples from the trees, which we all found to be incredibly enjoyable. After a few hours, we had filled many crates to the brim with apples. The crates were handed over to ECOEats and many delicious apple pies were created. Getting to take some of these pies home with us made the day very rewarding indeed!”
ECOEats is a student-led organisation that uses surplus food from on-site outlets through free, community-run cooking lessons. The session making apple pies highlighted that we have great produce accessible right on our doorstep.
An average glean can vary from helping a neighbour with picking an apple tree in their garden to heading out with a group of volunteers to community orchards and harvesting produce that can then be given to a good cause. Going gleaning can be a great community activity, and it can also just be a good way to get outside and enjoy spending time in nature and with like-minded people.
For me, my motivation to go gleaning was sparked by a communal baking session, a great way to not only get free and local apples for our apple crumbles, but also to give to those in need through Eggcup’s re-distribution network.
The author of this story, Asha Flemons, is a third year English Literature student studying at Lancaster University with an avid interest in the environment. She is currently an intern with LESS CIC supporting the Share the Harvest campaign. To find out more about Share the Harvest and how you can participate this year, visit www.foodfutures.org.uk/share-the-harvest
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