Shake, Rattle and Roll

It is that time...time to shake, rattle and roll...Almond Harvest is happening across the valley of California. The Nonpareil variety is the type you see above. It has a softer shell and it is the most common and most expensive variety of almond eaten in America. The almond has three parts, the hull, the shell and the meat or almond nut. As you can see the hull is split open naturally and ready to come off the tree. The farmers have one goal in mind at this stage of harvest...

that one goal is that as they shake loose all the almonds from the tree and that they all fall nicely to the ground. They do not want any to stick to the tree and not shake loose....it is like leaving money on the tree.

Once all of the almonds are shaken from the tree they will stay on the ground for around a week. They will dry out to around 5% moisture before they will be ready to have the hull and shell removed.

I was able to get a bit of mud on my boots today out in the field. I LOVE being out there...not only does it not happen that often, but every time I am in the field I learn more that makes me better at what I do in the plant. Just as in every task of life the more you know about what you are doing, the better you are...Happy Harvesting...