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