NH Gleans

08/18/2023

and their team of volunteers gleaned blueberries at Hill Farm in Enfield, NH, which will be shared with partner organizations and distributed to the community. Thank you for coming together to make healthy, local food more accessible for all! Our local farms have faced so many challenges this season and supporting them is more important than ever. Check out to find a pick-your-own farm or farm stand near you to visit, along with other ways to get involved and support our local food system.

08/03/2023

We are partnering with and for a collaborative effort to energize and celebrate our local food system. Stay tuned to learn more about gleaning, our partners working to make healthy, local food accessible for all, and how you can get involved and support a resilient local food system!

03/10/2023

Gather / .nh is the fiscal sponsor for NH Gleans and gleans in Rockingham, Strafford and York counties. They joined the group in 2019 after working with other organizations who were gleaning and were recipients of gleaned food. Gather works with local farmers, community gardens, has several of its own gardens and has a program called Grow 4 Gather where backyard growers or anyone can grow fresh nutritious food and donate it to Gather to be distributed through its many programs.

In addition to the Pantry Market and Mobile Markets that Gather offers, they also have a Cooking 4 Community program held at Great Bay Community College and at University of New Hampshire where they turned donated food into delicious "to-go" meals for their members. Lots of gleaned and locally grown food goes into these meals, so their members get to benefit in a variety of ways! These meals are distributed at both GBCC and UNH as well as at Gather's Pantry Market in Portsmouth.

For more information: www.gathernh.org or email John a [email protected]. He'd love to have you join him.

03/07/2023

Learn about funding opportunities for school and youth garden programs!

Join Stacey Purslow, NH Farm to School Program Coordinator, Carole Bays of the Bethlehem Elementary Community Garden, Sharon Conway, co-director of the ROOTS program at Dunbarton Elementary, and Ted Kendziora of US Fish and Wildlife Service to learn about funding opportunities for school and youth garden programs. Register here >> bit.ly/3EuNIdh

03/06/2023

Gleaning can happen all year long! Some farms donate from their root cellars, some donate eggs or other proteins as they process livestock. Recently NH Gleans received a donation of Spinach from some greenhouses.

You can grow spinach and other green leafy vegetables pretty soon in our area! If you grow too much, consider donating it to a local food pantry, or reach out to us at [email protected] and we'll connect you with one of the regional leads in your area.

An interesting article we found that gives many benefits of spinach...https://www.verywellfit.com/spinach-nutrition-facts-calories-and-health-benefits-4114717

03/05/2023

This is going to be great! Do you have a seed library in your area? Share in comments.

seeds

03/02/2023

Check out Hillsborough County Conservation District plant sale!

The Hillsborough County Conservation District is holding its annual tree/plant and flower bulb sale to benefit conservation programs in Hillsborough County.  We are offering top quality varieties of conifers, deciduous, vegetables, small fruit and large fruit trees.  Many of the offerings are nati...

02/27/2023

Hillsborough County Conservation District has been the host organization for Hillsborough County Gleaners, a part of the statewide organization NH Gleans, since 2013. Hillsborough County Gleaners is working to increase the availability of fresh and local produce that is distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, community resource centers, community suppers and schools.

The District works with farmers, forest landowners, landowners, schools, and municipalities to promote the use, protection, and conservation of natural resources on both private and public land, both rural and urban. Our conservation programs in Hillsborough County are carried out through public education and the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Technical assistance and information for the implementation of BMPs are provided for various land uses in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

For more information or to volunteer, check out: https://hillsboroughccd.com/

02/21/2023

Belknap County Conservation District covers a large geographic area as part of their work with NH Gleans. Often rescuing food from farms, landowners, and more, and then distributing to Food Pantries, Schools, and more.

The BCCD works with farmers, forest owners, landowners, schools, and municipalities to promote the use, protection, and conservation of natural resources on both private and public land, rural and urban.

In collaboration with environmental organizations and private sector professionals, we do on the ground work to improve and maintain Belknap County's environment through projects such as stream bed restoration, invasive species management, and pollinator plantings. We aim to educate our community through workshops, events and installations such as interpretive trail signs to help inform people about the importance of our natural resources. Our conservation programs are carried out through education and the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Technical assistance and information for the implementation of BMPs are provided for various land uses in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

For more information, check them out at: https://www.belknapccd.org/

02/15/2023

The Community Kitchen covers the Monadnock region of NH for NH Gleans. As a founding partner of our group, they have taken a leadership role in guiding the work we do and helping newer and smaller organizations start or strengthen their gleaning efforts.

The Community Kitchen started as an idea that a group of like-minded people had in 1982. The idea was to provide a meal to those who needed it. Naming the idea was the first problem—”soup kitchen” wasn’t what they wanted so The Keene Community Kitchen was born. In 1983 they started serving food in three local churches, but it soon became clear that the whole need was not being served and so take-home boxes were added to the equation. It also became clear that they were not just serving Keene residents, so the name was changed to The Community Kitchen, Inc.

In addition to their warm meals, they have a food pantry, a gleaning program and more. Find out more at: https://thecommunitykitchen.org/

02/15/2023

We fully support CSAs with local farmers! Tag your local CSA share and let’s spread the word! Without farms, there is no food.

Do you know what a CSA is?

"Community Shared Agriculture, or CSA, is a farming model built on fairness and transparency for both the farmer and the consumer. Traditionally, a consumer buys a share of a farm up-front, which provides financial security to the farmer for that season. In return, the consumer receives a regular box of fresh produce."

Gather purchases shares from Wake Robin Farm, NH / and each year which allows our members to experience fresh local food. We recommend supporting your local farmer and purchasing a share for yourself, or hey, even donate it to Gather! We know that our friends at sell shares and partners with us throughout the year (hint hint)!

A great article to read more: https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-a-csa-5118263

02/09/2023

Merrimack County Conservation District is one of the 6 lead organizations of NH Gleans. As a partner, they help glean food in the Merrimack County region of our state but they do so much more!

The Merrimack County Conservation District is a non-regulatory public agency that works in partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help land owners and users in Merrimack County manage their soil, water, forest, and other natural resources. We serve residents, town officials, educators, members of non-profit organizations, and others in the 27 towns that make up Merrimack County.

From Equipment Rentals to ensuring SNAP can be used at Farmer's Markets to Workshops and Scholarships, there's a lot going on at MCCD!

For more info: http://merrimackccd.org/

02/04/2023

One of our partners in NH Gleans is . A great organization rescuing food and distributing it to those in need.

Willing Hands recovers fresh food from farms, grocery stores, restaurants and wholesalers, and delivers it year-round, for free, to 80 social service organizations across the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. Their work is made possible by a strong and wide network of volunteers, food donors, and recipient organizations. Together, they serve 30,000 individuals annually with 4 million servings while mitigating nearly 1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

For more information: www.willinghands.org

01/15/2023

There are many types of gleans...harvesting from fields, picking up from farmer's markets, and more.

Want more information about gleaning or to get involved in gleaning in your area, check out www.nhgleans.org and you can find the Lead in your region who works with NH Gleans!

01/13/2023

Do you know what gleaning is? One of our interns helps break down what gleaning is and why we do it!

for more information go to www.nhgleans.org

01/11/2023

Supporting local agriculture supports all of us. Join NH Farm to School, UNH Extension, our own Belknap County Conservation District and more on January 27th in the Lakes Region.

Interested in getting local food into your Lakes Region school? Register by January 25 for the Lakes Region Farmer-Buyer Meet & Greet event! This event, hosted by UNH Extension, Belknap County Conservation District, and NH Farm to School, is an opportunity for farmers who are looking to sell their products to local food buyers, and for food businesses and institutions seeking local products to serve their customers and clientele. Learn more and register here >> bit.ly/3GwAT22