WHEN I’M GLEANING PUMPKINS
Photo by Caleb Yule from Stories of Note
As part of a recent visit to Sussex Surplus in Brighton we were fortunate to combine it with a gleaning project, an area we would dearly love to be more proactive in. This time it was to go on a post Halloween pumpkin glean. It is crazy to think that this much sought after and valuable commodity is rendered practically worthless overnight and there really should be no reason that the demand isn’t there once Halloween is over and the plastic skeletons and hairy spiders have been consigned to the loft for another year. Unfortunately thousands of tonnes are left to go to waste each year and so we find ourselves in our wellies, in a field, managed by the lovely folk at Sompting Pumpkins, full of squashes and gourds the variety and names of which are nearly all new to me. – Turban Squash, Carnival Squash, Sugar Pumpkin, Kabocha, Crookneck, Spaghetti Squash, Red Kuri, Pattypan, Cinderella pumpkins and many more including the Crown Prince deemed by many to be the tastiest of all – and what a colourful, if not slightly daunting, sight they are as they disappear to all corners of the field that is our gleaning patch for the day. If I’m honest I’d never really given them a great deal of thought before but when you see the incredible varieties in front of you they really are quite beautiful.
This glean is part of a national initiative called Eat Your Pumpkin, which is being organised by Hubbub, an award-winning environmental charity, and this is just one of over 100 pumpkin-related events they have organised across the country this year. This is obviously about saving pumpkins from going to waste but there are events that bring people together for pumpkin cooking workshops, community meals, pumpkin decorating contests, pumpkin parades, and lots more. All ultimately aimed at stopping food waste.
Our glamorous gleaning gang was a mix of young and (relatively) old with a number of willing kids eager to do their bit too. Once the formalities and safety intros were done their was just time for a round of ‘What’s your favourite way to eat pumpkins” – roasted probably topped the leaderboard – and we all disappeared into the pumpkin patch with our wheelbarrows and began loading up our bounty. It all seemed to work very well and pretty soon there were rows of wheelbarrows lined up near the van waiting to be loaded up. They were to be distributed to a number of organisations including Fareshare, UK Harvest, The Community Kitchen, Balfour Mutual Aid and others, pleasing to know that they would be enjoyed by so many people.
The BBC Newsround team were present too and two of our younger members seamlessly slotted in to the role of interviewees as well as getting some expert advice from Caroline Harriott, aka Farmer Caroline, as they perched on hay bales talking all things pumpkin related. We even picked up a few nuggets of info ourselves including the great expression they had for worms – 24/7 Eco Warriors.
The weather was kind and the morning flashed by until it was time for lunch which was, any guesses ? Yep lovely pumpkin soup that had been made by the Sussex Surplus gang. Unfortunately we had to depart after lunch and leave the more energetic pickers to carry on their fine work. The final tally was 5 tonnes, a quite remarkable amount that would feed so many. And so with a few of these tasty treats squirrelled away in our bags it was time to say goodbye. Yet another great initiative and so worthwhile and huge thanks have to go to everyone involved.
Sussex Surplus is part of the charity Feedback and home to the Sussex Gleaning Network. If you would like to find out where your nearest gleaning opportunities are or indeed are thinking of starting your own then there is plenty of information here
Find out more about more about Hubbub and their campaign here : Hubbub
