Sara Tashker welcoming the gleaners – photo by Myles Cowherd
By Tova Green
“To glean” means to gather leftover grain or other produce after a harvest. On Sunday afternoon, September 26, several City Center residents and other participants met Sara Tashker, the head of the Green Gulch Farm, to glean nourishing food still in the fields after the completion of the commercial harvest.
Gleaning kale and chard
Everyone met before and after the gleaning in a circle with Sara, who created a sense of connection with the land and between the volunteers. Participants shared their names, chanted, and bowed to the farm altar. She also provided instructions on which vegetables to gather and how to do so.
The organically grown vegetables—collards, cabbage, kale, chard, potatoes, and broccoli—were donated through three community groups that are long-term friends of Green Gulch Farm:
People’s Inter-Cities Fellowship Church Food Pantry, serving over 200 families and seniors in Marin City (watch a video about the program)
The Cultural Conservancy, serving the Inter-Tribal Native Community in the SF Bay Area and Sonoma County
Congregation Sherith Israel, serving meals to the un-housed community in San Francisco
The volunteers—with gratitude to the sun, soil, and water—gleaned a total of 330 pounds of produce.
All photos by Myles Cowherd.
Gathering in a circle
Farm Altar
