A great idea - gleaning fields

Marian
Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:18:59 +0000

“Gleaned” fruit collected off the ground should not be made into juice or cider unless you know how to pasteurize it.

This is how people used to get sick from juice or cider before the law required these products to be pasteurized. Juice and cider were often made from fruit that had fallen to the ground, which was usually a bit bruised or damaged and therefore not attractive enough to sell as whole fruit. Unfortunately, fruit that has been on the ground has the opportunity to become contaminated with animal droppings, which may contain bacteria that can make people sick. Washing may not remove the bacteria completely, but pasteurization takes care of the problem.

It’s probably safest for gleaned fruit to be used only in recipes that involve thorough cooking that would destroy bacteria (apple pie?). Or you could find instructions online for how to make juice from it and pasteurize it yourself.