For this inaugural Friday glean, fewer than 30 gleaners met at the Giant Artichoke in Castroville and caravaned to a field a few miles south owned by Ocean Mist. Henry pulled the flatbed truck up close to the field, so we didn't have to carry our baskets too far. A couple of the young men tended the bins on the truck and saved our backs by exercising theirs. The comraderie was wonderful. A breeze kicked up, making a balmy day even more pleasant. With fewer gleaners than the Saturday gleans have been getting, it took the whole morning to fill the 6 big cardboard bins with over 5000 pounds of lettuce. Fortunately, there were more nice solid, rot-free heads to glean than there were last time.
One of the highlights of the glean was the Brunson family who worked well together. The daughter, Janie, is blind, a Braille competition champion, and an inveterate reader and creative writer. Another highlight was the chance to talk to Ag Against Hunger driver Henry Arias. He talked about his 40-year career with an ice company and about the changes he saw in produce refrigeration and handling.
Listen to stories from the September 4th glean
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