THERE'S a French tradition known as "glanage", or gleaning, that runs all the way back to the Middle Ages, when people would return to fields after harvest and pick up any scraps that remained. In modern times, "gleaners" have gone to markets and grocery stores to collect bruised fruit and vegetables. Thanks to the global recession, their ranks have been growing, according to a Reuters report. "There are shop owners who deliberately put the eggs on top in the rubbish bin so that people can pick them up," Christophe Auxerre, national secretary of the charity Secours Populaire, told the wire service. One such stall owner at a market in Belleville explained his generosity this way: "It's a gift, a gift. I give it away, otherwise it would just be discarded anyway". The 15th of every month is often the busiest time for gleaners who are awaiting their next paycheck.