VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – It doesn’t get much fresher than this! Volunteers visited a field in Pungo on Wednesday, March 1 to pick crops that are being donated to area food pantries.
It was a dry and mild morning, perfect for picking. Volunteers gathered at Cromwell Farms on New Bridge Road. Some came with gloves, some with knives and pruning shears.
They were invited by farmer John Cromwell, who’s owned the farm since 1984.
They began with a short lesson from Cromwell and got to work cutting collards. Volunteers tossed them into totes, the giant cardboard boxes you often see watermelons or pumpkins stored in at the grocery store. In less than an hour and a half, they filled 10 of those containers, including one with rutabagas.
Cromwell explained they harvest collards in the fall, which is when most people want to eat them. But he said the plants kept growing, and there’s not really a big market for them right now. So, he connected with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and they rallied volunteers.
“It’s good to see things not going to waste. I mean, that’s the object of the game,” Cromwell said.
Ann Myers volunteered and brought her grandson, Colton, who was out of school because of a teacher workday.
“I came purposefully to give Colton the opportunity to learn to give back to the community,” Myers explained.
She also said it was a learning experience for both of them.
“I have never been in a field like this before so it’s brand-new learning for me!” said Myers.
David Brandt with the Foodbank says it went faster than they expected and were excited to have so many volunteers. In fact, he said they ran out of totes, so they hope to find another day soon when they can return to pick more that Cromwell offered.
The vegetables will be sorted and bagged and then distributed to food pantries throughout Hampton Roads.
For anyone who may need some assistance with learning how to cook vegetables like rutabagas or collards, the Foodbank has an education section full of recipes. Click here to see them.
