Apples, pears, cherries and blueberries are all hand harvested. Seasonal workers begin arriving in Washington State in late May, securing work for cherry harvest that begins in early June and lasts until late July. Blueberry harvest occurs almost simultaneously. Pear harvest follows shortly thereafter in early August and ends in mid October. The first apple varieties mature mid August and harvest continues thru mid November.
Cherry Harvest
Cherry season is fast and furious. Cherries are one of the few truly seasonal commodities. Consumers rush to the store for this sweet, short-lived fruit delicacy. Cherries are also significantly impacted by Mother Nature's whimsical attitude. A late frost affects bloom, hail can damage an entire orchard and rain just prior to, or during harvest, can have significant impacts on the crop. Cherry harvest is both an exhilarating and nerve-racking period for growers, marketers and retailers.
Cherries are hand harvested and immediately cooled. Maintaining the cold chain is critical to extending the cherry's shelf life. Field heat needs to be removed as soon as possible after harvest. We start cooling cherries in the field utilizing portable hydro coolers, at receiving, prior to packing and throughout the sorting process. This strict adherence to maintaining the cold chain is significant to maintaining a high quality cherry. Only 24 hours should pass from harvest to shipment in order to deliver the freshest product possible to the consumer.
Blueberry Harvest
Blueberry picking is very labor intensive. Each individual berry is removed by hand. When ripe, a slight brush of the fingers causes the berry to drop from the bush into a small bucket worn by the harvester. Extra attention is used to insure that our fruit and harvesting containers absolutely never come in contact with the ground during the harvesting process; this step is an intricate part of our food safety chain. The bucketful of berries is gently transferred into a larger crate which is then palletized and placed on a refrigerated trailer to begin immediate removal of field heat. Upon arrival at the packing facility the cooling process is accelerated using forced air fans in cold rooms. The cold chain is further maintained by packing the fruit into clamshells in refrigerated rooms. A solid cold chain philosophy is crucial to delivering strong fresh fruit to market.
Blueberries reach maturity at different times on the same bush. Because of this staggered ripening, pickers must pass through each block as many as three or four times to make sure berries are harvested only at peak flavor. Harvest begins in June and peaks mid-June through the end of July with staggered picking continuing well into September.
Pear Harvest
Pear harvest begins in August and lasts through late September. Harvesters hand pick pears into canvas bags strapped over their shoulders. When the bags are full, they gently release the fruit into field bins placed throughout the orchard.
Pears are washed and packed prior to storage. Most pears sold between January and July, were harvested earlier in the season and have been stored for several months in controlled atmosphere conditions to slow the fruit's respiration and maintain quality.
Apple Harvest
The granddaddy of them all - Apple Harvest. As harvest time approaches, the apples are tested daily for color and sugar to determine optimum harvest date. Harvesters hand pick apples into canvas bags strapped over their shoulders making sure to avoid bruising at all times. When the bags are full, they gently release the fruit into field bins placed throughout the orchard.
Once harvested, apples are stored for up to 12 months in controlled atmosphere rooms. Oxygen is removed while nitrogen is added to slow the respiration of the apples putting them to "sleep" until it is time to pack them. Computers monitor the rooms keeping them at just the right levels throughout the season. Storage technologically has improved dramatically over the last decade enabling the industry to provide better quality apples throughout the year. Many of the newer varieties like Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith are now available from the United States on a year round basis, much like Red and Golden Delicious; eliminating the need to rely on imported apples.