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Does anyone know if gleaning was actually abolished, or did it just fizzle out gradually?
Lark Rise to Candleford has quite a bit about the families in the village gleaning the fields, and displaying their sack of grain in the front room afterwards, but I imagine the Second World War would have broken the continuity.

I don't know, but I think it does still go on in some areas, but mainly veg. growing I think, rather than cereal. I'm not sure how official (or not) it is. I did mention it to someone recently, but I got funny looks, so it obviously didn't happen near them

Until 2 years ago I lived 2 miles from 'Candleford' (my children went to school there), and it definitely doesn't happen there anymore! Blackberry picking was pushing it for most residents...

Hazel

sorry to sound din but what is gleaning?

disregard that post, found it on google.

The word gleaning may not be in regular use here, but it most certainly goes on! A few days ago when returning from collecting hen food, I spotted a local villager bent double in a tattie field. He and I are of the same 'waste not want not camp' - the farmer had harvested his tatties which had been grown for chippers on a supermarket contract. Sadly for him the spuds were of a poor size as there had been little heat to help spell them. As a result, the surface of the field was littered (literally thousands!) in 'salad potato' size spuds where were destined to go green in the sun and then be ploughed into the soil, and then killed with herbicide in the spring when they begin to grow.

Within 10 minutes I had a carrier bag full of them. Andrew had come prepared - and was still picking away, filling his bags. I now have a paper feed sack in the land rover for such similar events, but am really waiting until the maincrop spuds are lifted. These, like almost all supermarkets foods have to look perfect. Any with a light blemish, or those that are misshapen or too big/small are thrown off the back of the harvester and left to go green and be ploughed in like the chippers above. I usually collect 2 or 3 feed sacks full which, once our own tatties are done, see us through until the springtime.

Brussels Sprouts and turnips provide a similar opportunity for gleaning!

I think most people would be wary of going into a field to just start collecting stuff... But I do know that some farmers tell local folk, especially people they know from regular walks along the field, to help themselves, once they are finished with it. A friend of mine had an entire beanfield to choose from last year - something was "wrong" with them in supermarket speak.

True Ina - there's some farmers here who object to you taking gleanings from their fields. Not exactly sure why as they are just wasted anyway!

That said, of the friendly farmers I know, I am always careful where I park my Land Rover, and the times of day I go to the fields. Given the close proximity of a large caravan site here, blatantly gleaning tatties in open view would no doubt start a free tattie craze! Odds on something would go wrong and us careful Local People would loose out in the end....

the only thing anyone here seems to grow (by here i mean walking distance of my flat) is oilseed rape.