Reno Gleaning Project

06/10/2026

Biennal bearing ! Check it out. Fully half of Apples in Reno do this. Now we know why! Thin is In!

06/06/2026

Picker training tomorrow! Lunch will be served. We have a few spots left and very few trees this year so if you want to pick one, please join us.

The Reno Gleaning Project connects volunteers with homeowners to harvest excess fruit, reducing waste and promoting community engagement. Their mission is to save trees, support local food systems, and educate on sustainable practices for future generations.

06/04/2026

This is America. This is the pioneer spirit.

The Orchard Keepers of Hood River
Hood River, Oregon. May 1942. Executive Order 9066. 120,000 Japanese Americans sent to camps.

In Hood River Valley, 500 Japanese families grew pears. Best in the world. 3rd generation. American citizens.

They had 72 hours to leave. Could only take what they could carry. Farms lost.

Their neighbors were white. Mostly vets. Mostly broke too.

So 40 families did a thing.

They went to the bank. Paid the taxes on their neighbors’ orchards. Signed their own names to the deeds. “Hold in trust.”

For 3 years, they pruned the trees. Fixed fences. Paid water.

Sherman Burgoyne, 52, kept the Yasui family’s 40 acres. Sent them $200 a year from the crop. In camp.

In 1945, the families came back.

39 of 40 got their orchards back. Whole. Pruned. Profitable.

The 40th — the Nishe family — their neighbor had sold it. Pocketed the money.

The other 39 farmers sued him. Paid for the lawsuit. Bought the land back. Gave it to the Nishies.

A sign still stands in Hood River: “An injustice was done. We undid what we could.”

06/04/2026

Yes! I’m doing mine this weekend!

06/04/2026

Remove these! Water sprouts

06/04/2026

Very few peaches and plums this year due to late frosts. Still if you set a lot of fruit. Thin it!

06/02/2026

2026 Picker Training at the Chamber. Space is limited so reserve your spot today. Learn what we do and how we do it!

Fruit is on and soon we will be called to pick! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Reno Gleaning Project's f next Picker Training Event of 2026. In this workshop we will share our process for collecting and Distributing the unwanted Fruit of Northern Nevada. Moving Forward, attending...

05/26/2026

If you have large clusters of apples on your trees you can thin them now to avoid big messes June-August

04/28/2026

Dust bowl firming up