Dr Rebecca Whittle explains the thinking behind the ‘glut market’, recently trialled at Lancaster Environment Centre to make the most of the annual fruit and veg surplus
Late summer can be a tricky time for vegetable growers as back gardens and allotments all over the country begin to heave with the weight of excess produce. Lots of home growers find they are producing more than they can use. No one likes to see waste, especially when you’ve produced the fruit and vegetables yourself.
And yet, once you’ve exhausted the traditional avenues of making preserves, filling the freezer and passing stuff over the fence to your neighbour, you don’t have too many options other than the compost heap.
However, we know there are lots of people out there without gardens who would love a taste of something home grown. The glut market is simply a way of bringing those two groups together, so we thought we would try it in the workplace and see how it went.
At Lancaster University we’re very lucky in that we are currently generating lots of excess produce as a result of the Students’ Union’s ‘edible campus’ initiative. So probably about 80 per cent of the produce on our stall was grown by students right here on the Lancaster University campus – you don’t get much more local than that. On top of this, we invited keen gardeners across campus to bring in any surpluses from home.
We had onions, kale, new potatoes, courgettes, raspberries and some of the biggest cauliflowers I have ever seen in my life! Importantly, we also made it into a bit of a social event. Our Executive Chef, Julian Ankers, had prepared some delicious tasters with seasonal produce, so lots of people stayed for lunch. We also had recipe cards available so that people could replicate the food at home.
In total, we made over £130 from the event, all of which will go towards buying ‘grow-your-own’ equipment for the university’s Pre-School Centre. We also got some really lovely feedback from staff who attended – there seems to be a real desire for this kind of event to become a regular feature of life on campus, so watch this space!”
This article will also feature in Anna Clayton's local food column in the Lancaster Guardian.
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