The Process of Cherry Harvest

Today I am going to try and show what is involved in machine harvesting cherries.  Of course you can always pick cherries one by one into your bucket and climb ladders etc. but someone figured out you can do it by machine and it is much faster:) The first thing you need are cherry trees!

This is a one man shaker.  You have to shake each and every tree.

This is a close up of the front of the shaker as it is ready to clamp on the tree trunk.

The umbrella part of the shaker comes around the tree (to catch the cherries).

The tree is ready and it is time to shake.

                                      

This is how it looks while the tree is being shaken.

The tree is shaking and the cherries are falling onto the tarps and down on the conveyor belt.

The cherries go up the conveyor belt and then into a tank of water that is on the back of the shaker.

The tank is full.  The racquet is used to clean the leaves/branches that often fall with the cherries.

Waiting to exchange tanks.

 

When the tank on the shaker is full it is dropped off and will be taken back to the cooling pad  The lid is put on the full tank and then the new tank is put where it can be picked up by the shaker

           

The full tanks are put on a cooling pad.  There is cold water running into each tank to cool and firm the tart cherries.  All the tanks are filled halfway with water before being taken out to the shaker.

When about ten tanks are done it is time to start loading the truck.  The tanks are cleaned of leaves/sticks and damaged cherries and then drained of excess water.

The tanks are loaded on the truck.   This truck can take eight tanks at a time.

Next they are strapped down.  (I love this pic!)

              

                                       

And then they are taken to the receiving station.

Next they are measured and graded.   Each tank has about a thousand pounds of cherries.  From the receiving station they are taken to the processor.  Then the process starts all over again:)