Bi2-Uncast»r Farming, Saturday, Saptambar 11, 1993 Bear And Colyott Work Together To Harvest Food BETH WHITMAN PITZER Cumberland Co. Correspondent WILLIAMS GROVE (Cumber land Co.) Com. strawberries, blueberries, green beans, canta loupes, squash, and pumpkins were picked this summer and donated to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Pat Colyott, a volunteer coor dinator for the Pennsylvania Glean ers, was a key person who made this happea Half the produce came from Benjamin Bear, a wholesale and en terprising produce farmer. Last year 41,000 pounds of produce were gleaned! Most of the produce stays in the Harrisburg Area, going to places like Bethesda Mission and local soup kitchens. Gleaning, picking left-over pro duce from Helds to give to low-in come people, is something that ap peals to men, women, and children of all ages. Many of the people who glean have traditionally come from church networks. Pennsylvania Gleaners, a non-profit organization, is looking for more people to glean and could use a truck to help haul some of the produce to food banks. It takes both gleaners and farmers working together to help feed hun gry people. Benjamin Bear shared his gleaning experience as a farmer. He thinks it is pretty easy and really doesn’t have any concerns from his point of view. The gleaners arrive, pick and deliver the produce. He re commends it for farmers who have an abundance of crops. He finds that when there is a glut on the market, many farmers sell to an auction, where it rarely gets a good price. Gleaning is the answer he has found. Benjamin Bear gave the impres sion of a fanner “on-the-edgc” of current and upcoming farming trends. He and his wife, Denise, own Meadowbrooke Produce. They sell dried flowers and vegetables wholesale to Ashcombes, close to Route IS in Mechanicsburg. They plant and harvest summer fruits and vegetables, as well as fall decorating items such as pumpkins and pop corn. The first of April begins the busy season for the Bears when they be gin with the flower crop. Quality is their trademark, so all of the flowers are harvested by hand. German Sta tus, Celosia, Silver King, and Gom phrena, which looks like a clover blossom, are picked and dried. Planting and harvesting quality produce and flowers requires a busi ness operation with extra em ployees. This is Meadowbrooke Produce’s fifth year as a business. They rely on a farm crew of about eight people, a flower harvesting crew of eight to ten people, and a berry harvesting crew of 30-60 peo ple, depending on the season. Quality is the Bear’s trademark. Food that doesn’t quite make the highest grade, but is still quality food, goes to gleaning. Benjamin shared a little about his life as a farmer. “It’s a hard, but good life.” He likes being on the “front edge”: having the freedom to take the business where he wants it to go. He's always looking for something new. Eve to eight years Benjamin Bear, an enterprising wholesale farmer who sells to Ashcombes, checks for a full head of dark pink Ce losla for fall dried flowers. an August meal. Thanks to efforts made by Pat Colyott, vol unteer coordinator for the Pennsylvania Gleaners, and Ben jamin Bear, farmer, many low-income families have enjoyed some of summer's harvest. It takes both farmers and glean ers to work together and donate com to the Central Pen nsylvania Food Bank. ago, he got the idea of growing flowers, which has become a boom* mg business. One of the latest ideas was growing and selling hard-shell gourds (that look like geese). The food business is always there. The entertainment or decorating busi ness keeps becoming bigger, he said. If you are interested in gleaning, call Pennsylvania Gleaners in Ship pensburg at (717) 7764230. If you are interested in donating produce to be gleaned, call the same number. Area gleaners try to find farms with in an hour’s drive of Shippensburg. If you are interested in learning more about leaning from a farm er’s perspective, call Benjamin Bear at (717) 790-9261. See your nearest tVEW HOLLAM)' Dealer for Dependable Equipment and ENNSYLVANIA Annvflle, PA BHM Farm Equipment, Inc. RDI, Rte. 934 717-867-2211 Carlisle, PA R&W Equipment Co. 35 East Willow Street 717-243-2686 Davldsburg, PA George N. Gross, Inc. R.D. 2, Dover, PA 717-292-1673 Elizabethtown, PA Messick Farm Equipment, Inc. Rt. 283 - Rheem's Exit 717-367-1319 Halifax, PA Sweigard Bros. R.D. 3, Box 13 717-896-3414 Homy Brook, PA Dependable Motor Co. East Main Street 215-273-3131 215-273-3737 Homy Grove, PA Norman D. Clark & Son, Inc. Homy Grove, PA 717-734-3682 Loysvide, PA 717-789-3117 MARYLAND Frederick, MD Ceresville Ford New Holland, Inc. ' Rt. 26 East 301-662-4197 Outside MD, .800-331.-9122 NEW JERSEY Bridgeton, N.J. Leslie G. Fogg, Inc. Canton &.Stow Creek Landing Rd. 609-451-2727 609-935-5145 Hughesvllle, PA Farnsworth Farm Supplies, Inc. 103 Cemetery Street 717-584-2106 New Holland, PA A.B.C. Groff, Inc. 110 South Railroad 717-354-4191 Oley, PA C.J. Wonsidler Bros. R.D. 2 215-987-6257 Pitman, PA Schrefller Equipment Pitman, PA 717-648-1120 Quakertown, PA C.J. Wonsidler Bros. R.D. 1 215-536-1935 Tamaque, PA Charles S. Snyder, Inc. R.D. 3 717-386-5945 West Grove. PA S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc. R.D. 2, Box 66 215-869-2214 Washington, NJ Smith Tractor & Equip., Inc. 15 Hfllcrest Ave. 201-689-7900
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