Orchard Update

 

It might not be as cute as the kids but we have had some milestones reached in the orchard. We so far have two planting years, 2011 and 2012. The 2011 now in its third growing season we knew was going to have some fruit. Though since it is its first year producing fruit we were not planning on harvesting and sending the fruit to market. We would just pick and enjoy it for ourselves and share it with friends and family. As the cherries were coming on we were noticing that there was a lot more on the trees then we were expecting. Before we could harvest for market there were a few hurdles to jump. Getting boxes (ordering them would mean 1000's more then we needed), finding pickers, figuring out sorting, figuring out how to cool and keep then cherries cool once picked and most importantly a buyer. It become quite obvious that the Lord wanted us to harvest this year, all of those things we answered very easily.

When the day came we started at 6:00am and it took the pickers 4 1/2 hours to pick all the cherries. It took us much much longer to sort. We loaded the boxes into the car and The Farmer parked it in a friends cooler for the night then drove into Portland in the morning. By morning I really do mean morning, he delivered the fruit at 7:00 which meant he left here at 5:15.

 The first load brought in from the field.

My parents started out checking and making sure the trailer of totes followed along with the pickers. Every time a picker fills a tote they have to check it in because they are paid per tote. The totes move with the pickers so they do not have to walk fare to check and pick up another tote.

 The Farmer getting ready to take a load to the barn, this was a slow and careful ride.

Let the sorting begin! The fruit are in ice water to bring their temperature down. Sorting involves pulling the damaged and bird pecked fruit, pulling the small fruit (only a certain size is accepted in market) and pulling the cherries without stems (stem less cherries don't sell no mater what the size).

 The first box weighed and ready to be loaded into the car.

 Future farmer/future free labor :)

Jane joined us in the barn too.

The biggest blessing of harvesting this year was how much we learned. In particular better ways to sort, or at least that we will need to have a more efficient way to sort next year when we will have more then double the amount of fruit. We owe a big big thank you to our family for helping us sort this year! God is truly great and has blessed us immensely in this harvest and with our family willing to sacrifice time (and sore muscles) to help us.