Content
- The almond harvest: a dying event
- Traditional almond harvest
- Complex processes
- Compromises on four legs
- In Mallorca, this decline already leaves clear traces:
- Tips & Tricks
The almond harvest: a dying event
teaser: Since the 80s, the long-awaited almonds harvest has increasingly been subject to the world economic powers from Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, farmers in Mallorca know their treasures profitably use.
Previous article Successfully fighting diseases in the almond tree: That's how it worksTraditional almond harvest
After the almonds start to ripen in June, farmers were originally looking forward to the autumnal harvest. The magnificent flowering of the almond tree awaits a lush harvest.
At the beginning of the autumn month of September, the almond fruits were shaken from the trees. They were read aloud by the support of many diligent hands. Finally, they get to cleaning and cracking in appropriate factories.
Today, these processes have been incorporated into major industrial processes.
Complex processes
In September, broad safety nets are laid out under the almond trees on sunny days. Harvest helpers shake the almonds off the tree with the help of iron bars. Many devoured branches and old leaves fall down as well. In the next step, the magnificent harvest is tipped into cotton sacks and transported for further processing.
By machine branches and twigs are separated from the almond fruits. Then they are carefully peeled and packaged. In some areas even harvest workers are now being replaced by machines. However, as the rent for electrical tree shakers is very high, often there is no lucrative profit for the farmers.
Compromises on four legs
For this reason, the almonds are not harvested in low-yielding vintages. In this way they fall off the tree alone and serve as food for pigs. In Mallorca, these animals have adjusted to the cracking of the hard almond shell in the course of time.
However, there are more and more often to the barren harvests, which are the result of not well-groomed almond trees. If these are not blended annually, then these trees die already after 3 to 4 years.
In Mallorca, this decline already leaves clear traces:
Tips & Tricks
In Mallorca there are still a few pure almond products. These are available on the eco-market of Palma. The Sunday market in Santa María offers these all-natural quality items as well.