East Tennessee Gleaners Co-op

08/31/2026

EDIT: class is full. We will add another class soon.

NEW CLASS ADDED!!! KitchenAid Stand Mixer Maintenance Class. Go to this link to review the requirements for the class and to register:

08/26/2026

🚨🚨🚨🚨CANCELED 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨The Just Roll With It class scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, August 27th) has been canceled. We will reschedule as soon as possible. Emails have been sent to all who registered. Thank you!

Send a message to learn more

08/23/2026

I wanted to extend A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who came out and helped make our very first fair such a success!
Since this was our first time participating, we really didn’t know what to expect. We simply hoped to get out into the community, tell people who we are, and share the mission of the East Tennessee Gleaners Co-op. By the end of the fair, we felt it was a great success. We handed out lots of cards, met some wonderful people, made great contacts, did some valuable networking, and even connected with a couple of farmers. Every conversation helped spread the word about who we are and what we do, and you never know which connection may lead us to our next field, member, or opportunity to serve.

A huge thank you to all of our members and Board members who helped make it happen. Whether you worked behind the scenes getting things ready, helped man the booth, talked with visitors, or supported the effort in other ways, every contribution mattered and was truly appreciated. Because so many people stepped up and gave a little of their time, the responsibility never fell on just one or two people. That’s what makes this organization work, people coming together and each doing their part. We showed up, we made connections, we planted some seeds, and now we get to see what grows from them. Thank you for helping us share this amazing organization with our community.

Again, thank you all so much

Vance J McCoy
ETGC Presents

08/20/2026

It's that time of year when folks are canning tomatoes or freezing their tomatoes to can later in the year. Please ensure you are using tested canning recipes and safe preservation practices.

A few questions that continually pop up are:

1. Is there a diced tomato recipe? No, the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation do no recommend home canning diced tomatoes due to safety concerns. There are no tested recipes, instructions, or guidelines on processing time or method (water-bath/pressure canner) for diced tomatoes. Why? Density, heat pe*******on, and undesirable product! Diced tomatoes pack more densely into the jar than whole or halved tomatoes creating a denser product than other tomato products. Density hinders heat pe*******on to the center of the jar or cold spot during processing, potentially leaving harmful bacteria like Clostridium botulinum alive and able to thrive in an anaerobic, tightly sealed jar. Tomato cells tend to collapse during processing creating a tighter pack. The amount of processing time needed to kill bacteria in this dense environment would result in a mushy, undesirable product.

2. Can I freeze my tomatoes and then process when I have time? Yes, you can; however, previously frozen tomatoes are only suitable for well cooked items such as sauces, juice, soups, and crushed. They lack the required structure for salsa and whole/halved tomatoes. An important note is that you MUST use all the liquid that accumulates as they thaw!!! Draining off the liquid may cause density issues and result in an unsafe product.

Here are a couple of sites that are helpful during the canning season:

https://nchfp.uga.edu/ (National Center for Home Food Preservation)

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/193m9QMrkD/ (Ball Home Canning Community)

https://www.healthycanning.com/ (Healthy Canning)

And there are many more... just make sure they are following tested recipes! You can typically trust the extension agency facebook/web sites.

Healthy Canning explores modern, lab-tested home food preservation methods from reputable sources and provides an in-depth knowledge base.

08/19/2026

Wednesday Tomatoes ‼️MEMBERS ONLY‼️
All information go to ETGC.org

08/19/2026

Please read all information below

This will be a special tomato glean with restrictions... please read below before registering.

08/18/2026

MEMBERS ONLY Tomato Glean:

This will be a special tomato glean with restrictions... please read below before registering.

This glean is for 2026 ETGC MEMBERS ONLY. You must bring your 2026 membership card to the glean and present it at the pre-glean briefing. Please also note that this glean is scheduled for ONLY 2 hours -- 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. CENTRAL TIME.

We will be picking tomatoes from the ground. There are plenty of beautiful tomatoes lying in the fields that need to be gathered. We may NOT pick tomatoes from the plants. Please make sure everyone in your family understands this before entering the field. Vance and Kim went to look at the field today and there are miles of good tomatoes sitting on the ground.

WHAT TO BRING

• Buckets or containers for picking and taking your tomatoes home. You may use ETGC buckets for picking; however, these buckets cannot go home with you.
• Plenty of water to stay hydrated
• Lunch and snacks
• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes appropriate for field work
• Anything else you normally need for a morning in the field

It will be an early start, but August heat comes quickly. Come prepared and stay hydrated.

Please remember that we are guests on the farmer’s property. Follow all instructions given by the farmer and our field supervisors.

One bucket for you. One bucket for the farmer. Let’s get those tomatoes off the ground and put them to good use! We will not be picking for UTG tomorrow.

Link to register is here: https://www.etgc.org/events/members-only-tomato-glean-3

08/17/2026

The volunteer fair schedule has been emailed to everyone who signed up. If you didn’t receive the email, please let us know by posting below.

08/14/2026

We still have spaces available to volunteer at the fair next week. See the pic included in this post for available dates/times to volunteer. The white spaces are ready for your name! Don't need volunteer hours but want to participate? We'd love to have you. If you need help signing up, please comment below or send us an email to [email protected] and we'll get you signed up. Thank you! MUST BE A 2026 ETGC MEMBER

08/14/2026

Good Morning Members! The drawing for the blueberry 🫐glean (Saturday) has been completed and emails were sent to everyone who registered. If your name was drawn, we require you to reply to the email so that we know you are planning to attend. Please check your email inbox and be sure to reply to the email if you were drawn to attend. 😀