My earliest memory of the word gleaning comes from the Bible story of Ruth and Boaz. In the tale, Ruth had permission to glean in Boaz’s fields – that is, to follow behind the harvesters and collect any fallen grain the pickers had left behind.
According to the dictionary, to glean also means “to collect or gather anything little by little or slowly“.
Whenever we go into our garden to find ingredients for dinner, we’re gleaning. It’s rare for us to harvest an entire crop in one go – instead, we wander about, picking a few leaves off the rainbow chard, or a handful of beans from the plant climbing up the fence. It’s a process which ensures that whatever we’re eating is as fresh as possible.
When we first started our garden, I had visions of big harvests and shelves of preserves storing our surplus crops. It never eventuated into that. With the limited time we’ve had to work in the garden of late, there’s usually only a few beds producing at any one time. We’re far more inclined to forage (that’s the other word) on a daily basis and plan our meals around whatever we can find. Any excess gets fed to the chickens or the worms, or left to go to seed, ensuring the next crop of self-sown vegetables.
Late this afternoon, we brought in a large perennial leek, some rainbow chard, a few beans and a small mutant broccoflower head. All the veg were washed and chopped, then stir-fried with a couple of cloves of garlic, a splash of oyster sauce and a little sesame oil. It was a tasty accompaniment to the soy sauce chicken and rice we were having as our main meal…
Each garden is different, and not everyone has the luxury of walking out the back door and into theirs. I’m curious to know, if you do grow your own fruit and vegetables – are you a harvester, or a gleaner? Do you bring in all of a single crop at the one time, then store it for later consumption, or pick what you need on a daily basis?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Delicious dinner Celia! I’m definitely a gleaner too, I even try to stagger my plantings so everything matures at different times. I had to cover my seedlings last night though as we were expecting minus 2, and I already lost eggplants and tomatoes to frost last week :(
Hard to understand when half the state is on fire, eh Becca. It’s 14C here this morning, but we’ve had 35C days as well. Garden is confused, heck, I’m confused! :)
I suppose I can best be described as a summer gardener, as although it is possible to have a garden which produces food almost all year round, in the UK, it requires more dedication and hard work than I have time or inclination for.
I also only grow a few things which are either always expensive in the shops (runner beans, gooseberries) or things which are immeasurably better if eaten when freshly harvested (courgettes, tomatoes, strawberries). This does mean we tend to have gluts of vegetables, but as it is a short season, we don’t get too tired of them.
I most look forward to harvesting the fruit we grow – rhubarb from March – July, gooseberries and strawberries in mid-summer, and apples in the autumn. Gooseberries are an ‘all at once’ harvest, so much of the crop is frozen. This year I grew enough cooking apples to try storing them to extend their use further into winter.
I envy your style of gardening, Celia, but think your climate pays a large part in being able to garden that way.
Suelle, I think you’re absolutely right. It’s a great luxury to have a garden which produces something for most of the year – I know even Becca in Canberra can’t do that because it get so cold!
The swings and roundabouts of that though is that you get to grow cold climate fruit and veg that we don’t have a chance of growing in our temperate frost-free environment – like apples, garlic, rhubarb (we can grow rhubarb, but it’s never red! :)).
Sue, do you manage all of your surplus crops by freezing them? Or do you have to madly bottle and preserve?
I freeze a little, Celia – particularly gooseberries – but mostly we just eat as much as possible and give the rest away. I still like the idea of seasonal eating, so I don’t like to eat rhubarb , courgettes and runner beans in mid-winter. I’m used to eating apples all year round, so storing my cooking apples – in trays, in the dark – isn’t a problem in the same way.
There is a famous painting called The Gleaners (des glaneuses) by Millet which is probably what influences me in my use of the word, but I like the way you take the word out into your permaculture garden. To me gleaning is hard work, scrabbling after the leftovers when you are poor and are landless, so I wouldn’t use it in the context of my own garden. I guess I just pick what is ripe or needs to be used and make my meals fit round those things when I have the opportunity to use my little home grown crops – and those are my defining criteria, need and ripeness. We all look at the world in different ways xx
I’ll have to look up that painting! :) Isn’t it funny how we all have a different view of the same word – I guess it’s an old agricultural term with a wealth of history. It sounds like we’re both approaching our gardens in the same way though! :) Hope all is well, my baby fennels are growing into lovely fat bulbs, and I think of you whenever I see them! xx
your gleaned vegetables are so vibrant and beautiful celia and your meal sounds delicious..i do the same as you..looking at my vegetable garden there doesn’t seem to be much at all at the moment but i can pick a mixed green salad by taking small bits from here and there..x
Jane, doesn’t that happen so often! We look at the garden and think, “bugger, not much there” then we find a beetroot that we missed, or some decent leaves that haven’t been nibbled on, and the next thing we know, we’ve got an entire meal! :)
Great post, Celia… I glean and forage in my little patch…. picking as I need things… love the thought of a famous painting called The Gleaners (des glaneuses). You learn something new every day!
Liz, it’s lovely that we can walk into our yards and find something to eat, isn’t it? I thought after I posted that it must be quite different if you’re gardening on an allotment or a plot away from home.
I only have some small window boxes so I’d be too devastated to harvest everything at once! At the moment, I glean/pick a few leaves at a time as required. Perhaps if I eventually get a full garden (as per my locavore/self-sustaining dream!) I would harvest and replant each year. I love the look of your vegie dish. And I’d forgotten the story of Ruth and Boaz, I need to go back and re-read it. I just dusted off my Bible last night after neglecting it terribly, thanks for the reminder to get back to it xx
Laura, it’s one of my favourite Bible stories – I think when I was growing up, it seemed very romantic! I hope you get your full garden one day! :)
I love the fact that when you have your own garden you can glean, plucking when the produce is in its prime and sustaining the growth process as long as possible. Great post and beautiful looking meal.
Thanks Leah, and I couldn’t agree with you more! I particularly love how our cooking is directed by what’s in the garden these days, and not the other way around!
I love that story of Ruth – such a resilient woman who never gave up. I don’t grow anything at the moment (long story there!) but I grew up with on a property (residential size) with a glass house where we grew lots of things like grapes, cucumbers, capsicum and tomatoes and in the backyard were all sorts of fruit trees. In the mornings I would go outside and pick grapes, apples and tomatoes for our lunch boxes. Whenever we were hungry we were told to go outside and pick something. Salads were always made with fresh ingredients picked straight from the garden. It was a lovely way to live xx
Charlie, I never knew you grew up with such wonderful produce! How’s the herb garden going? xx
I am fortunate to be able to grow most (vegetable) things and am only buying capsicums and tomatoes at the moment (although my tomatoes are now fruiting). As a result we eat seasonally although I will occasionally buy a few out of season things (Australian only). Of course if we have a massive crop failure, I will buy supplies!
I tend to glean at the end of each season and harvest during the season when I have much bigger crops. Then I will preserve what we aren’t eating fresh.
Bronwyn, that was my original aim when we started our garden – it never happened because we were just too time poor, and the fruit fly in our area are quite problematic. It’s so nice to hear that someone else has made it work well! Good for you! :)
I am a gleaner too Celia, I very rarely harvest everything at once. I pick only what we need for the next meal. I find I can stretch my crops out further this way, leaving some things for the chooks, bees & seed collection when I am organised enough! One crop I do pick all at once is garlic, so I can hang it up to dry out & store. Your stir fry sounds delicious, happy gardening & cooking x
Jane, garlic and potatoes are two harvest at once crops, aren’t they? Sadly, we don’t seem to be able to grow either at the moment! I used to feel guilty about leaving unpicked bits and pieces in the garden until I realised that they weren’t being wasted – the chooks or the worms or simply the soil would get their benefit if we didn’t. In fact, it seemed more wasteful to pick more than we needed and then throw it out!
I’m a gleaner but when I lived in Florida I had a huge garden and I did do some harvesting and preserving. I need more dirt than I have now to do that.
I think I’ll go glean something for lunch!
Maureen, that must have been fun! Sounds like you have a green thumb! :)
Do you think gleaning comes naturally because it harks back before organised farming to our hunter gather ancestors who collected what they could from where they were. I think the perfect world is having a foot in both camps – harvest & preserve and glean a little each day for variety :)
ED, I reckon there’s something to that, you know. I love being able to wander about and see what we can find to eat out there!
And how good are windfall finds… blackberries on the side of the road, chokoes hanging over a fence… :)
I guess I am both a gleaner and a harvester! Depends on what is in season and how much! Most gets put up for later use if I’m harvesting. Otherwise it gets eaten if it’s from a gleaning.
Manuela, I’d actually quite like to grow a glut of something other than tromboncinos one of these days, just to have a surplus to play with! :) But I can’t complain, it really is wonderful to always have something to eat from the garden!
I’m much more of a gleaner too Celia. I like the thrill of just picking enough for dinner. Except the lemons.. then I’m a harvester!
Claire, weren’t your lemons just the best? I think it’s the part I like most about your new house! :)
I am a mini gleaner I guess seeing that all I have in the garden at the moment is herbs but what a joy to be able to pick fresh as and when needed.
Have a lovely weekend Celia.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, I always think if you’re only going to grow one thing, it should be herbs. They’re brilliant and we use ours every day! Hope you have a wonderful weekend too, love! xx
We glean what we need and sometimes the tortoise helps!
Hahaha…I’m pretty sure the tortoise isn’t gleaning for your pot, Tandy! :)
Hi Celia, our garden is only new so we are gleaners at the moment. I have grand dreams of pickling and jamming our harvest one day. After a 12 month wait, my first lone artichoke emerged a couple of weeks ago. It’s too beautiful to cut.
Staci, I know that feeling! I’ve been known to let the occasional broccoli go past its best by because it’s been too green and gorgeous to bring in from the garden.. :)
Hadn’t realized it before, but I’m definitely a gleaner. But to me having little and often bits and bobs to pick for risottos, soups, pasta dishes etc makes much more sense than having a huge row of cabbages ready to harvest all in one go. I fear it’s coming into the season when the pigeons will be gleaning with me though!
Andrea, part of Linda’s permaculture plan is to plant lots of variety all mixed together – I think huge rows of cabbages attract lots of pests!
With three fruit trees, I’m a harvest at the moment. Can’t have those lovely apples falling to the ground and rotting!
Ah that’s true with fruit, isn’t it? it’s so seasonal that it’s either harvest or waste it. Worst still, if you don’t pick it, it goes all sugary and rots!
I pick on a needs basis, mostly leeks, silverbeet, herbs, broad beans ATM..
We’re the same, minus the broad beans! The boys don’t like them, and we don’t grow anything we can’t eat! :)
We only pick tiny broad beans and eat them uncooked, smashed with salt and a bit of oil on fresh bread. Perfect spring no fuss food…
Sounds divine! :)
No longer having a garden big enough to grow fruit and vegetables sometimes seems sad but I’ve done it for most of my life and it just got to be a worry when I couldn’t keep up with it.
When I was little, we used to glean corn for the chickens after the farmer had harvested. I have a vivid memory of the scratchy corn stalks that rubbed my little legs.
How lovely that you can grow year round, though I hadn’t thought of how that would restrict you from some of the things we can grow.
Pat, I reckon a garden is a source of pleasure and relaxation, so I can completely understand letting it go once it stops being that!
Great post! Love fruit and veg that never see the inside of a fridge crisper or touches plastic.
Lisa, whenever we can bring in a head of broccoli and cook it while it’s minutes off the plant, I feel incredibly blessed!
I made a quiche with the rainbow chard that Pete gave me and I used the last of the veges earlier this week. It was all so delicious and fresh! :D
So glad you enjoyed it! The fennel are getting very big now!
I would love to have the wonderful variety of vegetation you do, but right now our garden is still small. I would very much like to be able to glean, like you can for a different salad every few days, but since we don’t have much I just pick whats ripe as others have said, and plan my meals around what is ready (jalapeno’s right now).
I did find myself bringing in tomatoes a little early, before I needed them though, because if I didn’t I risked losing them to the squirrels, who will even take the green ones. The chipmunks and rabbits did not help matters.
We had unusual below freezing temperatures last night, and I did bring in 4 jalapenos and a red bell pepper, but I have another bell and 6 or 7 jalapenos out there that weren’t fully developed yet and also radish seedlings. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to make it.
Next year we have a plan to keep out the critters, so then I can pick only what I need:)
Would love to grow leeks like yours, Celia. So lovely!!
Mel, I wonder if you can find them there? They’re perennial, and they’ve been in the garden for years. All we do is separate them occasionally and replant them and they grow without any more input from us!
I am definately a gleaner.
It’s a nice way to be! :)
Absolutely a gleaner. Although at the moment we have quite a lot about to bolt, so I think there’s some harvesting in order.
All of our coriander has already bolted, the parsley is on the way, as is the rainbow chard. They’ve all had a good run though! :)
Lol! I have the same type of vege and herb garden at the moment. We glean and forage a salad :) Great story :)
Thanks Julie! Heading out now to see what we can find for dinner tonight! :)
I’m a gleaner until it all becomes too much as everything ripens together and then I have to harvest. I agree with Suelle that it’s to do with our climate – some things have such a short harvest period that it’s a case of use it or lose it and lovely as it is to wander into the garden to choose something for supper, when that’s beans (or whatever) for three weeks, it gets a bit tiresome – until they’re finished and a week later they’re suddenly desireable again. Gardening in the UK can be a bit glut then famine unless you’re very disciplined (which I’m not). Your supper sounded good.
We’re very blessed with our temperate climate – I don’t think we’ve had a week go by when we haven’t been able to find something in the garden to eat, although sometimes it’s just herbs and perennial leeks! :D
I am both, depending on the season and time schedule, currently, I am a gleaner. Our growing season is very short compared to yours. I try to grow many varieties, but only a few of each, doesn’t always work out the way I planned but I am still trying after all these years. Bet your from the garden to the table stir-fry was the most delicious.
Norma, I guess most people do a combination of both – glean for daily eating, and harvest for storage. We’ve never really had any crops that grow prolifically enough to give us more than we need! Thankfully, we can grow something most of the year though, we just need to adapt out eating accordingly.
I mostly glean herbs- glut on tomatoes and cucumbers and visit others gardens for green beans and eggplants. Your garden is a dream garden, Celia!
Heidi, we might actually get a good tomato crop this year – the diatomaceous dirt is helping, and the predator levels have increased in our yard, so we’re not getting as many bugs!
I love different ethnic markets, they always have such great finds!
They’re great, aren’t they? So many interesting things to buy, AND usually really cheap as well!
As someone who loves words, ‘gleaning’ has a particular appeal. I must use it in a conversation today! Always a joy to see what you glean from your garden.
Sally, I love words too (as you know), and this post came about because the word came up in conversation, which led to me thinking about Ruth gleaning in the grain fields.. :)
Not much to glean nor harvest around here, Celia. I do remember, though, that I lived with a bunch of gleaners. Though Grandpa’s garden was tomato-centric, he did plant some lettuce, chard, and parsley. Everyone knew to start picking from one end of the row and to continue along until the other end was reached. By that time, the “front” of the row had re-grown. It wasn’t until this this time of year, when frost was a problem, that anything was actually harvested and that part of the garden was prepared for Winter.
When you can glean enough from your garden to make such a nice stir-fry for your family, why ever would you harvest anything? :)
John, it’s become clear from all the comments that our ability to glean all year round is a direct product of a frost free environment! We’re very blessed! :)
I love that word – gleaning & I’m going to have to find a way to work it into a conversation. Around here we forage especially lately. I remember hearing my daughter ask a friend if she wanted to stay for dinner (they were only about 8 yrs old) & when the friend asked what we were having for dinner my daughter said “oh just scraps”. Sort of made it sound as if we were dumpster diving for our dinner.
I think I like Niki..a lot! :) You reminded me of the story my friend Amanda told. She went from living here in Australia to an expat life in Hong Kong where her husband was a senior banker. Over there, they had household help, as everyone does. One day she overheard her son telling a friend, “here in Hong Kong, we have a maid. In Australia, my mother was the maid.” :)
I tend to do a bit of both, mostly picking what I want for that day, but then picking a whole ripe crop if they won’t keep on the plant – like tomatoes and beans when they’re in full swing. These I either freezer or roast to make a sauce for pasta or pizza.