Ever wonder who grows our farm fresh produce?
Thank You, Jarret Nelson!
Jarret is the fantastic Farm Manager at Glynwood Farm and has been a crucial part of the growth of Second Chance Foods since 2017!
Glynwood Farm donates about 20% of its harvested produce to four partner hunger relief organizations, including Second Chance Foods! As the Farm Manager, Jarret loves partnering with us because of Second Chance Foods' innovative method of feeding our community and utilizing farm fresh produce.
Unlike food pantries, the Second Chance Foods Kitchen can accept and process large quantities of single items, and as Jarret puts it, "sometimes unusual vegetables" that not everyone has the time to cook. Jarret grows 60 different vegetable crops so it's important to him that this food is used.
"What's exciting to me about Second Chance Foods is the Gleaning efforts. As a farmer it doesn't feel great to know you're leaving nutritious food in the ground but economically, the labor isn't always worth it. So no matter what there is food left in the fields. Having volunteers come to glean it's still going to good use and nothing is being wasted. Growing vegetables is very hard work, so it's hard to see that go to waste."
Sometimes Unusual...
For example, he recalls donating 200 pounds of Celeriac, or Celery Root, that our kitchen turned into a delicious puree. A similar side as mashed potatoes, Celeriac is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with fiber and vitamins B6, C and K, plus it's a good source of antioxidants and essential minerals, such as phosphorus, potassium, and manganese.
Always Delicious!
We are extremely grateful that Jarret and his volunteers provide us with the most beautiful and delicious vegetables in the Hudson Valley. Thanks to a donation of several hundred pounds of sweet potatoes, we were able to make numerous meals! Like our favorite black bean burger and this this Spicy White Bean, Broccoli Rabe and Sweet Potato Stew!
If Jarret hadn't donated, those 200 pounds of nutritious food, it would have ended up in the compost instead of feeding people.
That's one of the reasons why Jarret is passionate about how food rescue helps the environment.
"There is a staggering amount of edible food that does not get consumed on a national level. Given the contribution agriculture plays to climate change, the more ways we can utilize what we're growing the better, I think the model of Second Chance Food can be incredibly beneficial to any community."
We couldn't agree more and are so thankful to have community partners like Jarret and Glynwood Farm join us in food rescue!
More about Jarret!
Originally from suburban New Jersey, farming wasn't a part of Jarret's career direction. Instead, he fell into farming to travel and spent a year volunteering on organic farms worldwide in exchange for room and board. The small family farms he worked on in Israel, New Zealand, and Australia impressed him, and his interest in farming as a lifestyle grew. So in 2010, Jarret got a job at Fishkill Farm and has been growing delicious vegetables since!
For the last eight years, Jarret has led the internship program at Glynwood after completing it himself in 2011. As the Farm Manager of Vegetable Operations, Jarret works and lives year-round at the farm. In winter, they grow fresh, healthy greens like spinach, kale, arugula, Asian greens, and more in the Hoop Houses at Glynwood.
He loves all the produce they grow but has been particularly excited about Kohl Rabi recently. Kohlrabi is easy to grow, all the parts of the vegetable are edible making it versatile and adaptive in the kitchen. You can even eat it raw like Jarret who enjoys biting into it like an apple!
Volunteering in the garden at Glynwood means you get to be outside and see the vegetables growing in the ground. "A lot of people are surprised to see how certain vegetables grow like brussel sprout stalks. It's good exercise and creates a connection to the food you eat and with the earth."
Stay tuned for more about Glynwood Farm and Volunteer opportunities this summer!
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