May with GleanSLO

Some numbers and updates from our first month back at it
 

Hunger Awareness Day is this Friday, June 5th!
June 5th is Hunger Awareness Day, and this year we're going virtual! 

Join us anytime from now through this Friday spreading the word about hunger in our county and raising money for GleanSLO and SLO Food Bank to continue connecting healthy food with those in need!

 Donate today and share our fundraising campaign with your friends and family! You can share our fundraising campaign with anyone using this link: https://bit.ly/GSLOHAD2020

Start with Your Community and Grow From There!
An interview with Jeanine Lacore, former GleanSLO program coordinator

Steering Committee member and GleanSLO founder Carolyn Eicher recently got to check in with GleanSLO's former program Coordinator Jeanine Lacore(both of them pictured above!) about Jeanine's reflections on her experience of working with the program and building the foundation of what we have today!

JL:  "I'd moved to the central coast in the Summer of 2011 to nanny for my cousin, Stephanie Buresh, who introduced me to GleanSLO through her connection with farmer Tom Ikeda, and thankfully she did! I helped glean lettuce with the MCP students at an Ikeda Brothers farm on a beautiful May morning almost 8 years ago to the day. Previously I'd done some small-scale gardening, canning, and putting up of food for the winter with my college housemates when I lived in Kansas, so I had some idea about food production but nothing of the scale that i saw that day. I was immediately hooked.  It all made sense in my mind: an excess of food and the people who need it...connect the logistical dots and problem solved! 

I was encouraged to apply for the AmeriCorps position at the SLO County Food Bank which I ended up getting and served for the 2012-13 year, then was hired on full-time by the Food Bank as the GleanSLO coordinator. As I became more involved with the program I realized that the issues became more complex. It wasn't quite as easy as excess food-->people=problem solved. I realized that a lot of people don't know what to do with (or even like!) kale or kabocha squash when it's given to them. What happens when you don't have a vehicle for the day that you scheduled your glean? Or you just harvested a literal ton of lettuce on a Saturday but the next produce giveaway isn't until Tuesday...will it hold up? Or you need 50 people to harvest avocado trees that are going to be cut down in a couple weeks? It wasn't always easy, but it was always rewarding.  

I met some of the most generous, thoughtful, and hard-working people during my years with GleanSLO. My pessimistic side thought, "there will always be hungry people no matter how hard we work", but my optimistic side still thinks "as long as we work together, we can accomplish so much!" It was difficult to leave the community of GleanSLO because of the amazing relationships I had built over the years, but I knew that the work would continue because of those same amazing people. Every time I open a gleanSLO newsletter and read about the major accomplishments and see the many familiar faces I can't help but smile and be proud of what I helped build. Kudos to everyone who was and is involved with GleanSLO. This is how we change our world: start within your community and grow from there!"

Some information and inspiration surrounding what you can do to support the local food system

Get some info provided by program assistant Kat about la Cherimoya below
 

Sometimes when we’re out gleaning the typical oranges and apples, we let our minds wander to the more unique fruits of the world. On a citrus glean this week, we got up close and personal with one of the rarer fruits on the central coast-- la cherimoya! Native to South America and then cultivated in the tropics of Central America, the Cherimoya thrives in a hot environment, and shows great versatility. It is cultivated not only in mid-elevation and tropical ecosystems, but in Mediterranean climates around the globe, making it possible to grow locally in SLO! They have a textured skin and a custardy interior that make this fruit not only unique, but delicious, too. Make sure to buy them ripe, as they don’t counter ripen as well as other fruits. Cherimoya season is upon us and you can often pick them up at a local farmers market near you-- Enjoy!

Inspiration and recipes for making the most of some seasonal produce

Spinach
Spicy, savory spinach saag is surprisingly easy and so, so good.
For those with ambition and a pasta roller, the most beautiful pasta: pasta verde
And for the savory pastry fans out there, spanakopita!

Brussels Sprouts
For hot summery days, we found a hearty chickpea and brussels sprout salad
If you're craving comfort veggies, this brussels sprout hash looks like it might be the most comforting veggie dish in existence.
But really, some simple roasted brussels sprouts are basically all you ever need.

Beets
You, your friends, or your neighbors, probably still have way more grapefruit than you ever wanted, so use them in this citrus and rosemary beet salad!
For all you bread salad(aka panzanella) fans out there- an extremely beautiful twist on the classic: beet and rye panzanella.
Okay. This sounds like the fanciest/most delicious veggie sando ever: roasted eggplant and pickled beet sandwiches.
For dessert, let us introduce you to the red-tinted beet chocolate cake of your dreams~