Harvest is Here

Almond harvest is here! Almond trees are shaking all over the valley and it's officially harvest season. About a week ago we started shaking on our farm.

But before you even start shaking, mowing is the true first sign of harvest. We don't just mow to make the orchard a cleaner environment. Grass could cause harvest equipment to get clogged up and unnecessary debris get stuck with the almonds  Weeds also take vital nutrients and water away from the trees and root system.

Once mowing is done, the orchard is ready for shaking! I like to say we shake the L out of them. Makes sense if you remember where I grew up. In Northern California we say A-MEND, just like salmon. None of that ALL-MEND business. But regardless of what you want to call it, almond shaking is how we get the nuts on the ground.

After we started shaking, the next day we were ready to start sweeping. Sweeping is the process of getting the almonds in nice, clean windrows so they can be picked up. Unfortunately, the sweeper also sweeps dirt, leaves and sticks with it. In fields that have excess debris, a conditioner is used. The conditioner picks up the windrowed almonds and removes the debris, sticks, leaves and spits out the clean almonds in a windrow again.

Now, the windrowed almonds lay out in the orchard for 7-10 days to dry out. Drying out will help get excess moisture out of the almond and be ready for further processing.

So, that's the beginning of harvest in a nutshell!

Stay tuned for picking up!

Until Next Time,

Almond Girl Jenny