Out of the trash, onto the table

Andrew Glazer

Surplus vegetables from the farmers market that growers would normally

toss into the garbage are now being tossed into salads for the county’s

hungry.

Two weeks ago, seven of the approximately 40 farmers selling fruits and

vegetables at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa began giving

boxes of their leftover produce to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

On Thursday, 20 farmers donated about 550 pounds of their extra apples,

lettuce, avocados, strawberries, spinach, squash, broccoli and

cauliflower.

The Orange-based food bank is the county’s largest. It distributes food,

usually in cans, to 340 soup kitchens and shelters across the county.

Food collected by Second Harvest serves approximately 185,000 people each

month, according to the food bank’s records.

“It’s really nice for them to get some fresh produce, since most of what

they get is canned,” said Gayle Cory, a manager of the Orange County Farm

Bureau who helped organize the food drive. “Farmers have a reputation for

being selfish. But ours have been incredibly giving and willing to help

out.”

The Farm Bureau gives farmers a $4 voucher for each box of food they

donate. Farmers can use the vouchers to help pay rent for their stands at

the Fairgrounds.

“It’s for a good cause,” said Enrique Garcia, a farmer from Bali Hai

Ranch in Oceanside. “It’s a way of helping the community.”

Garcia said he donates about two boxes of fresh spinach and broccoli to

the food bank each Thursday.

Kevin McFarland, a farmer from Leslie Farms in Oceanside, said all the

food he donates is fresh, but not always beautiful.

“People are used to perfect-looking vegetables,” he said. “Instead of

dropping the price so people buy our not-so-pretty vegetables, we figured

it would be much easier to donate.”