Gleaning. Incredible Edible Park

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Some ancient cultures promoted gleaning as an early form of a welfare system. For example, ancient Jewish communities required that farmers not reap all the way to the edges of a field so as to leave some for the poor and for strangers.

Finally! I've been wanting to glean with the kids for ... 5 years? Each and every time the opportunity came up one of them was at a stage where I would have been too stressed to be responsible for them in a large garden.

From Maia's Reality

This is the only picture I took. I was too busy planting cabbage to take pictures. Teams of 3, one hole poker, one plant dropper, one hole pincher. Perfect!

2 hours squatting in a field and boy! I'm tired.

I loved it! I daydreamed of doing it weekly. Then, realistically, monthly. That is when I looked over at the kids. They were playing tag on the bike trail with some new friends. Um... maybe they are not quite ready for this. We are back to the drawing board of how I can fulfill my desire to have a volunteer activity for myself while still needing to be with my children. There is a balance, I just haven't quite found it yet. The kids and I are working on it.