TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
It starts as a casual request. As time goes on the intensity increases. Next is a heartfelt plea, followed by a cry for help, and, finally, a desperate admonition that the time to act is now, right now, this very minute.
Friends, neighbors and family members routinely get these urgent calls for them, or someone, anyone to come and pick the apples, apricots, pears and garden greens that have overwhelmed the casual grower. In most cases, those calls go unanswered and the bounty goes to waste.
Now, there is another option for folks facing the prospect of too much of a good thing: call for the gleaners from Eastern Sierra Farm Fresh.
The nonprofit group organizes volunteers who will and pick produce and put it to good use. The first stop is usually the Thursday Farm to Table Market the group has organized. What isn’t sold is donated to such organizations as IMACA (which has been scrambling to obtain food to distribute), the Salvation Army, and the Methodist food bank and free lunches, said Larry Pace of Eastern Sierra Farm Fresh.
The local market has been up and running for about two months. The certified organic farmer’s market, located in the Fellowship Hall of the Bishop First United Methodist Church, on Fowler Street, and open from 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday.
Besides the “rescued” fruits and vegetables, the market also features numerous local food and craft vendors. Cooking demonstrations and performances by local musicians add to the atmosphere.
The start of the market “has been very satisfying overall,” Pace said, with a nice flow of customers and varied vendor lineup which can change week to week.
On a recent Thursday, shoppers were greeted by a long table loaded with fresh tomatoes, bags holding organic apple varieties, onions and other vegetables. Blue Heron Farm, in Wilkerson (the former Apple Hill Farm) is a steady vendor, said Pace, and brings a solid supply of fruits and vegetables.
Then there are the entrepreneurial bread folks. Punsters Amy and Chas Coufal are the Bishop born and “bread” pair behind Hippie Flour Child Baking, Co. (www.hippieflourchild.com ). They offered a variety of sourdough specialty loaves. The cottage food operation Sommerhus Bakery (www.Cottifi.com ) served open-face sandwiches on its sourdough at the market. It delivers its unique (chocolate chip loaf, anyone?) fresh loaves in town. Ah, “sommerhus” is Danish for “cottage.”
Great Basin Bakery lets its bakers experiment with what pies and treats to bring, using fresh, seasonal local fruit. White Lotus offers desserts that will satisfy any sweet tooth. Bouquets of dried flowers and other arts and crafts tables were also part of the market that day.
Worm Rancher Caddy Jackson offers his worm and composting expertise to the event every week.
At a several previous Markets, the Barbed Wire Beef and Montgomery Ranch operations, featuring organic, grass-fed beef, had tables offering locally grown beef.
Each market features trays of pears and apples from the gleaning effort. That work has generated some massive amounts of food. Pace said the gleaners were invited to the Manzanar National Historic Site to pick from the site’s pear orchards. A group of volunteers pulled down about 2,000 pounds of pears. Overall, the Farm Fresh pickers have picked about 6,000 pounds of produce. The latest addition came from a home with a huge grape vine holding about 1,000 pounds of grapes, he said.
A goal of Farm Fresh is to provide a “platform” for new, small businesses and local food producers emphasizing farm to table products,” Pace said. “Plus, it’s also a great way to bring the community together.”
The group will keep the markets going through the fall, and if there is enough interest into winter, offering canned, hydrated or preserved food, he said.
“The most impressive part of our work is how many people are actively interested in creating a local food system.”
For more information or to volunteer, see www.esfarmfresh.org.
