Autumn is in the air, and with it comes Gleaning Week for Farmers Against Hunger! This annual celebration shines a spotlight on the crucial work of rescuing surplus crops to provide fresh produce to families in need. The week kicked off with an apple gleaning at Giamarese Farms, honoring partnerships with local farmers like Jim Giamarese, a founding member of Farmers Against Hunger. Farmers like Jim are the backbone of this effort, helping to fight hunger across the state.

Gleaning Week was officially signed into law in 2016 by the New Jersey State Legislature, establishing the last week of September as a time to promote gleaning as a way to reduce food waste and combat food insecurity. The legislation encourages residents to get involved and help bridge the gap between excess food and those who need it most.

The week consists of visits to local farms such as Giamarese Farm & Orchard, Specca Farms, and Buzby Farm, where volunteers gather fresh produce to distribute to hunger relief agencies across New Jersey.

How Can You Help?

Volunteer 
Sign up for one of our gleaning events or help at our Delran center.

Donate
Support our mission to provide fresh, nutritious food to families across New Jersey. Donate Now

Share 
Spread the word by sharing your gleaning stories and tagging us with #GleaningWeek2024 to inspire others!

For over a year now, Farmers Against Hunger has been working closely with HomeFront to support their pursuit to break the cycle of poverty and end homelessness in Central New Jersey. We’ve provided fresh, locally-sourced produce to their kitchen, where they do so much more than just prepare meals. HomeFront is committed to changing lives by equipping families with the tools they need to become self-sufficient, and it’s been inspiring to see how our freshly-sourced produce has played a part in that transformation.

One of the main features at the heart of this effort is Bubbie’s Teaching Kitchen, where fresh produce becomes more than ingredients—it becomes a pathway to empowerment and self-sustainability. This space isn’t just for cooking; it’s where HomeFront clients, like Celianny, are learning new skills and gaining confidence in the kitchen. Celianny, now teaching classes herself, says it best: “I love teaching people… so they can taste new food. I want the class to know that cooking is the most important thing.” Her journey is just one of many, but it’s a reminder that cooking education can truly change lives.
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This collaboration represents the best of what community partnerships can do: helping people grow, learn, and thrive together. HomeFront has served thousands of families over the years, and FAH is honored to contribute to their mission with fresh food sourced by the hard-working farmers of the Garden State. The past year has been a meaningful journey, and we look forward to continuing and developing our relationship with Homefront!

On National Honey Bee Day, we honor the vital role honeybees play in our ecosystem and the dedicated beekeepers who care for them. Among these beekeepers is Eloise (Lou) Naylor, a passionate advocate for bees based in New Jersey, where she runs Moorestown HoneyWorks and is active in the Eastern Apiculture Society.

Lou’s journey into beekeeping was inspired by her grandmother, a beekeeper herself, although Lou didn’t start until later in life. “My grandmother was a beekeeper, but I never got to help her. I grew up eating a lot of honey,” Lou recalls. It wasn’t until 2007, when an off-the-grid neighbor moved in next door, that Lou truly began her beekeeping adventure. “I asked him if he would be my mentor, and that’s what got me started,” she says. Her mentor, then in his 80s, found renewed joy in sharing his knowledge with Lou. “His stepdaughter initially had reservations about keeping bees at their house, but after a couple of months, she thanked me. She said, ‘We haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.’”
Lou’s passion for beekeeping goes beyond the practical—it’s a love for every aspect of the bees themselves. “I love the sound of bees, the scent, the little breeze from their wings. Watching them work hard and share is just fascinating,” she explains.

Her passion is rooted in a deep understanding of the critical role honeybees play in our environment. “The economic impact on our state is huge. We need pollination to feed people. Without bees, we wouldn’t have fruits, and there would be much less food on the shelves.”

As someone who is deeply connected to the land, Lou is deeply aware of how essential honeybees are to the health of our farms. “We really need them to keep our farms going. It used to be that every farmer kept bees, and I wish it were still that way. With the challenges bees face today, it’s all about careful practices to keep bees alive,” she says.

Lou also shared some simple but vital advice for new beekeepers: “Give honey to your neighbors.”
New Jersey honey has its unique appeal, thanks to the state’s diverse floral sources. “The diversity of the trees and plants here makes the honey delicious. I prefer a blend of honey from various sources—it’s more interesting and flavorful.”

That being said, to those not ready to become beekeepers but still interested in supporting bees, Lou suggests planting bee-friendly gardens. “Plant a lot of the same thing, and try to have food available for bees across three seasons. Also, ensure there’s a water source with pebbles or something for the bees to stand on—they can’t swim.”

Small actions like planting a bee-friendly garden can significantly support the honeybee population and the broader ecosystem. Helping honeybees is about preserving nature and securing the future of farming in our state.

Lou is also heavily involved with the Eastern Apicultural Society, which hosts educational conferences and funds honeybee research. Next year, the conference will be held in New Jersey, and Lou is excited about the opportunity to bring more attention to the importance of bees and beekeeping.
Lou will be going into greater detail by hosting a Beekeeping workshop this coming Monday, August 19th with us at the New Jersey Agricultural Society. There are still some signups available!

- Story by Danny Rinaldi
08/17/24

Here's a compilation of all of our FarmVoice Studio productions.  Each of these provides insights and education for those who are interested in learning about the history and heritage of New Jersey Farmers; the diversity of the Garden State's Agriculture Industry; the challenges and opportunities for farming in the countrie most densely populated state; and get to know our farmers - Right from their Farms!  

Share these with teachers, educators, and everyone who may be interested.  

Cutts Brothers Cranberry Farm during the fall harvest.  Get to know Bill Cutts and his amazing family who come together from all over the country and celebrate the harvest.  Bill provides a wonderful description of what it takes to harvest these tartly delicious berries. As part of the Ocean Spray Co-Op, Cutts Brothers is one of many cranberry farms in New Jersey's Pinelands.  

Get to Know Jim Giamarese and the rich diversity of his U Pick farm in an area of NJ where there has been expansive development.  His work to preserve the land and continuing to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables for his customers in East Brunswick.   He also provides Christmas trees during the holiday season.  Giamarese Farm has been operating since 1941.  Jim received NJAS Gold Medallion Award in 2024 recognizing his leadership in agriculture over his many years of service. 

Rancocas Creek Farm is a part of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and committed to regenerative farming.  Farmer, Jeff Tober, describes "regenerative" and it's focus on education, soil health, biodiversity, water management, and crop diversity.  It's where conversation meets agriculture.  His farm also has a CSA where his customers can come out and celebrate all that is Rancocas Creek Farm.  

Dairy Farmers in New Jersey are a unique breed.  NJ has 33 dairy farmers today.  In Somerset County, Matt & Erika Puskas are continuing the legacy of their family farm.  The passion and love for their dairy herd is evident in this narrative.  Watch and learn what it takes to be a dairy farmer in the Garden State.  The last dairy farm in Somerset County. 

Discover a farm catering to those customers looking for a wide and unique variety of vegetables.  With a robust U Pick market, two farm markets - Corn Stop on route 206 and a new on farm market.  Many of their vegetables are grown to support the diverse population coming from Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and other mediterranean countries.  

Meet 4 Blueberry Farms and get a taste for the incredible bounty our southern New Jersey farmers produce every summer.  It all began here in Pemberton, NJ with Elizabeth White over 100 years ago.  Over time, the native blueberry has grown into one of our state's largest crops.  Critical to the success of our industry are the migrant workforce who provide critical labor to harvest blueberries.  With a rich sandy soil, the growing environment produces the best crop in the country. 

If you'd like to learn more about FarmVoice Studios, please reach out to [email protected]. This video was in collaboration with the New Jersey Blueberry Growers Association.

Elizabeth was not the first to attempt to cultivate blueberries; many before her tried to develop a blueberry plant to add to their farms but were unsuccessful. After working with her father for about ten years, she began collaborating with Dr. Frederick Coville who worked as a botanist for the US Department of Agriculture. Farming was a predominantly male dominated field, and the years Elizabeth spent working with her father built her credibility and gave Dr. Coville confidence that this would be a successful project. In 1911, they started working together to cross-breed various types of wild blueberries, as well as huckleberries to find their desired outcome: a blueberry that was around a half inch with a sweet flavor. In order to do this efficiently while accumulating a diverse collection of blueberry species, Elizabeth would pay those who brought her blueberry bushes––compensating for the time taken to collect them in addition to the bush itself. All new varieties that were created were named after who delivered the bush. 

In 1923, Elizabeth built a house on Whitesbog and permanently moved there to complete her blueberry cultivation project. Her first blueberry bushes were planted right next to her house, and remain there to this day. In historical records, Elizabeth writes that there were thirty-six original plants that were collected and tested in order to find the optimal blueberry, and that it took three to five years after the selection of a wild blueberry bush before the plants propagated and produced fruit sufficient and of high enough quality to test its fruit. Of those thirty-six bushes, there were two discernible varieties with the highest quality: Rubel and Harding. 
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Upon the successful completion of this project, Elizabeth started what she called a “Try and Report Plan”, which offered a variety of sets at different (and very low) prices for farmers to buy, under the condition that they report the progress of their plants so Elizabeth and Dr. Coville could determine how their plants grew in different environments. Soon after, farmers from across the country were buying full bushes for twenty-five dollars each. In 1916, Elizabeth was also one of the first to package her blueberries with cellophane so the public could see the vibrant new berries that had reached stores. 
The farm was very involved with the town, and employed many locals. Around the turn of the century, Elizabeth started employing immigrant children of Italian families who moved to Philadelphia. She worked with them outside of the farm as well, ensuring that they went to school to receive an education, and provided them with medical care herself in case of injury while working. At her house, you can still see the infirmary that she implemented on the lower level. 
New Jersey is widely referred to as the Garden State, but many do not know the rich history that has influenced the state we know and love today. Whitesbog currently does not partake in the commercial farming of blueberries, however, all of the trees are maintained and many still fruit to this day. During their annual blueberry festival, there are trees that are available to the public for pick-your-own blueberries. Blueberry Fest has already kicked off for the Summer, happening every Saturday until July 20th!​

Written by Signe Owen
NJAS Contributor