To glean, as most of us know it, means to extract or gather bit by bit. The word is usually used in terms of information: “You can glean a lot of important lessons from conversations with family” or “I didn’t glean much from my 8 a.m. class last semester because I was so focused on not falling asleep the whole time.” Another definition, that many are less familiar with, describes a method of reducing food waste and insecurity. Although most commonly associated with the agricultural industry, the US Department of Agriculture defines gleaning as “the act of collecting excess fresh foods from farms, gardens, farmers markets, grocers, restaurants, state/county fairs or any other sources in order to provide it to those in need.”
Though this definition of gleaning is relatively new to many people’s vocabularies, the practice of claiming and re-allocating unused produce from farms is ancient, with references to it dating back to the Old Testament of the Bible. Gleaning remained commonplace and socially accepted in Europe into the 18th century, despite the government often attempting to intervene with the agreement between farmer and gleaner. Farmers would signal the end of the main harvest with the removal of a guard sheaf and ringing of a bell, calling local gleaners to the field.
Liana Vardi, in her 1993 analysis of these practices in historical France, described the prevailing attitudes towards gleaning at the time as such: “[Communities] operated under the assumption that the local poor were entitled to subsistence… They had also enshrined the community’s sense of responsibility for everyone’s welfare.” Vardi also points out that gleaning was also one of few ventures open to women at the time, allowing a path for widowed or otherwise independent women to provide for themselves.
As time went on, societies became more driven by individual property and welfare. Simultaneously, agricultural technology improved. Through an array of social, political and economic factors, the way that gleaning was viewed changed. Agricultural excess was no longer seen as something to be shared, and the practice, along with the associations with the word glean, left our collective consciousness.
After decades under the radar, gleaning once again entered the public view in the UK and the US in the 1970s and 80s as awareness of food waste grew and food banks became involved in the practice. Since then, gleaning has continued to grow in popularity. The National Gleaning Project, an initiative of the Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, now lists nearly 349 gleaning and food recovery organizations nationwide who collectively save over 1.2 million pounds of produce from being left behind each year.
A whopping 43 of these National Gleaning Project-registered organizations are based in Washington state, including Whitman’s own Glean Team. The Whitman Glean Team was founded just over a decade ago by Samuel Curtis ‘16, who accelerated the club’s presence and success both on campus and in the local community through funds from the Ben Rabinowitz Campus Improvement Award in 2014.
The Glean Team’s continued success and great impact on the community is not to be understated.
“As a relatively small group, we’ve been able to harvest thousands of pounds of perfectly good produce this year alone that would have gone to waste otherwise,” said Caine Ryan ‘26, who works to promote student engagement with the Whitman Glean Team.
The yields go to a great cause – the Glean Team works in partnership with volunteer and nonprofit organizations both on-campus and within the local community. Produce collected during local gleans is distributed by Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC), an organization dedicated to delivering services and support, including food, to those experiencing poverty in the Walla Walla Valley. The BMAC Food Bank, the Food Justice Project and the Glean Team all work together in a now-streamlined process to save fresh produce from a rotten future and give them purpose.
Beyond organizing gleans, the Team works to provide opportunities for students to learn about the process. On-campus events like the recent screening of the film “The Gleaners and I” aim to spread awareness of the goals and benefits of gleaning practices and other forms of sustainable agriculture, creating a variety of ways for students to get involved with the cause.
The increased visibility and popularity of gleaning in the modern day parallels a growing awareness of food waste and interest in sustainable food systems. Farms account for nearly 24% of food waste in the US, at a time where 1 in 7 Americans, including children, face food insecurity. This isn’t the fault of the farmers, who are merely working within their own set of constraints and challenges that lead to produce never making it past the field. Often, there is simply not enough return on investment to justify the time and labor required to harvest and sell certain produce. This can happen when the current market prices of certain produce are too low, when wholesale buyers go to different growers or when produce has cosmetic defects that don’t appeal to consumers. On the bright side, these circumstances offer a win-win with the involvement of organizations like the Glean Team: farmers save time and mitigate their profit losses and local food banks get fresh produce to help feed their communities.
John Bleth, a local farmer who runs Birch Creek Farms, has been working with the Glean Team for about five years. He and his partner, Greg Smith, are almost exclusively responsible for the farm’s entire operation. It’s a big job, especially considering Bleth’s long stint as a nurse at Providence Medical Center. The two simply do not have the time or resources to gather unwanted or unsellable harvests.
“The social impact is the most important driver for partnering with the Glean Team,” Bleth said. He does not have the time or resources to harvest crops that would not sell on a commercial market, so allowing student volunteers to come in makes it possible for him to feed more people in the community.
BMAC Food Bank Director Erik Mora also spoke about the value of partnership with the valley’s local farmers.
“The small-scale producers we work with are proud of what they grow and hate to see their labor go to waste,” Mora said. “Our gleans also help in mitigating labor costs; we can provide volunteers to clear fields, allowing farmers to more quickly turn their fields.”
Walla Walla’s community isn’t unique in this sense. The social impact of feeding people is cited as the biggest motivator for farmers to participate in gleaning practices, both on a personal and societal level. Some farmers can even get tax deductions for their participation in gleaning practices, and tax credits are offered to farmers for donated produce in Oregon, Iowa, Arizona, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Missouri and Ontario, with more states considering the practice this year.
Like many community involvement opportunities, participation in the Glean Team is also valuable in helping students break out of the so-called “Whitman Bubble.” During gleans, students form connections with the people that keep the Walla Walla Valley fed. And gleaning is fun — students can get out and enjoy the sunshine, connect with peers and farmers and sometimes even get the opportunity to take some fresh produce home themselves.
“One of my favorite gleaning experiences was at an orchard; the woman running the orchard took us through her garden and encouraged us to try some of her hot peppers that she grew, upping the spice level every time until we couldn’t stand it anymore,” Ryan said.
Gleaning, though an old practice, has once again rooted itself in the world with the help of students like Ryan and the other leaders and volunteers that keep the program running and share their commitment to reduce food waste for the good of the planet and the people who call it home. Small-scale, local community-building efforts like these are an integral component of larger movements to reduce food waste and insecurity, creating an impact even greater than the sum of its parts.
Needless to say, students can glean a lot through their involvement with the Glean Team, in both senses of the word.
