By Hilda - Gleaning Volunteer
On a cold Wednesday in November Cornwall Gleaners doffed their waterproofs and wellies and went to Riviera Produce, the kind donors of many of our vegetables, where we gleaned many crates-worth of fascinating facts. Headline takeaway: Cornwall is the cauliflower capital of the universe!! Because of the climate, cauliflower can be grown year round and while Riviera minimises its use of pesticides in general, a cauliflower perched on a Cornish cliff is a happy and healthy vegetable which needs far fewer!
Ever wondered how those florets got into those bags? No, neither had I- but we saw the production line and will never look at those bags in the same way again.
Did you know that nobody will buy vegetables that are not totally blemish-free and encased in plastic bags? And yet “wonky” vegetables can be sold at a premium price!
Have you noticed the local people queuing up to get up before dawn in order to start working in the fields at first light in all weathers? I thought not, but that’s what the people who get those cauliflowers into our shops do. Many are from Central Asia and come here for six months year after year, staying in the warm accommodation provided by Riviera on its huge and well concealed site in Gwinear, which is powered from its array of solar panels, along with heating from its ground source heat, which ensures workers have a toasty caravan to come home to after a cold day in the fields.
Riviera also provides comfortable facilities, including showers, for the drivers waiting for their lorries to be loaded. Not only does it take good care of its employees, it is a good guardian of the earth, seeking to minimise waste and chemical use by means including growing cover crops such as phacelia, that beautiful purple flower you see more and more commonly in local fields, and seeking to increase numbers of earthworms, a vital and largely ignored component in the health of the soil and consequently the nutritional value of crops.
Gleaners are familiar with one aspect of getting food onto tables, but the logistics of growing that food and distributing it throughout the country are mind-boggling.
We were all deeply impressed by what we saw and heard during this fascinating visit, and extend warm thanks to Amelia – HR Manager and James – Head of Farming.