© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WECS · WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM · WVOF
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A New England farm struggled with spoiled crops this season, but it's sharing the few that were abundant

For Lindsey Shaklee, gleaning reminds her of the cooperation between humans and nature. The proximity of the winter makes her reflect that as productive as we can be, we also have to find time to recharge and rest.
Gaby Lozada
/
NHPR
Lindsey Shaklee says gleaning reminds her of the cooperation between humans and nature. The proximity of the winter makes her reflect that as productive as we can be, we also have to find time to recharge and rest.

On a crisp autumn morning earlier this week, around 40 volunteers walked through crops of bountiful apple trees at Kimball Fruit Farms, located at the New Hampshire–Massachusetts border. They gathered to glean, which means picking up leftover produce to share with people in need.

Paula Moran handed them boxes, as she advised picking the fruit from the tree — and not from the ground.

Moran is part of the board of directors of United Way of Greater Nashua, which serves underprivileged families, seniors, children and immigrants. She especially loves when volunteers sign up for the gleaning season. She said manual labor keeps people grounded and humble.

“There are people who do this every single day for their livelihood,” she said. “If you come out and you volunteer one day a year, big deal, but at least it gives you an appreciation of how hard people work.”

David Wadleigh, owner of Kimball Fruit Farm, bought the property last year but has been working there since he was a teenager. Like many other New England farms affected by climate change, his 150 acres also suffered from excessive rain and unpredicted frosts.

“But if you compare how [others] got affected by the really bad weather in western Massachusetts, Vermont and all along the Connecticut river, it looks like nothing happened here,” he said. “They were underwater.”

Wadleigh lost his peach crops, but he is thankful the elevation of his property has allowed him to have abundant heirloom tomatoes, romanesco cauliflower, squashes and apples.

One of the many branches stocked with gala apples at Kimball Fruit Farms. The young couple who own it say one of their missions is to help everyone enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables they have. “We do EBT and farmers markets vouchers,” he said. “This is just a great way to do it.”
Gabriela Lozada
One of the many branches stocked with gala apples at Kimball Fruit Farms. The young couple who own it say one of their missions is to help everyone enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables they have. “We do EBT and farmers markets vouchers,” he said. “This is just a great way to do it.”

Each year, hundreds of United Way of Greater Nashua volunteers sign up to help run community events, mentoring children or help seniors advocate for themselves. The fall season is special because it drives a new crowd of people looking to help their community but also enjoying the last few days of good weather before winter. This is the second year they organized to glean.

Niranjini Palnivlu works in a software company which gives its employees one day every quarter to volunteer. She gleaned a few boxes of apples and said it was fun to be outside for a good cause. (“Away from the computer and not stacked in a cubicle,” she said.) Palnivlu wasn’t familiar with gleaning; she learned a little about it while she drove to the farm.

Aline Bevacqua and her boyfriend Marc Ferry also used their driving time to learn about gleaning. While they scavenged the trees they found a big bird nest with a few egg shells on it. It took Ferry by surprise, as she looked at it closely in awe. She was thankful to be there that morning.

Across the country, food goes to waste in farms due to surplus, cancellations and produce that doesn't meet expectations. According to World WildLife, around 15% of the world’s wasted food happens at the farm stage.

Volunteers load fruit to be shared with low income families. Ula Miller from Poland said she likes how volunteering is a big part of many American lives, which she says doesn’t happen in hers. “And there are employers that nurture this kind of culture,” she said.
Gabriela Lozada
Volunteers load fruit to be shared with low income families. Ula Miller from Poland said she likes how volunteering is a big part of many American lives, which she says doesn’t happen in hers. “And there are employers that nurture this kind of culture,” she said.

Kathy Parker is a volunteer with New Hampshire Gleans, an organization that advocates for food waste reduction and guides other nonprofits and local farmers to join the movement. Last year, they collected 30,000 pounds of produce — which allowed thousands of people in the state to have fresh food on their plates.

Parker said when she was a kid she found a reproduction of The Gleaners, a painting from 1875 by French artist Jean-François Millet. In it, three rural women glean an austere wheat field in front of a bountiful harvest. The painting was not well received by the French upper class.

She never thought that image would have such a profound meaning in her life.

“I absolutely love the thought of saving some unwanted crops that can't be sold, because there's so much of it,” she says.

New Hampshire Gleaners calculated the volunteers gleaned around 8,000 pounds of apples. Those boxes will feed around 6,000 people in six Hillsborough soup kitchens and food pantries.

Gabriela Lozada is a Report for America corps member. Her focus is on Latinx community with original reporting done in Spanish for ¿Qué hay de Nuevo NH?.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content