As summer begins to draw to a close, the thoughts of many of us will be turning towards the harvest, towards reaping the benefits of what we have sown. Whether that’s harvesting in a literal sense, like gathering the fruit and veg that we planted in the spring. Or harvesting in a more metaphorical sense, like benefiting from the healthy routines that we put in place earlier in the year.
Although the months when harvest-time takes place vary, depending on where you are in the world, the word itself comes from the Old English hærfest meaning the period between August and November, the autumn. In the USA, Thanksgiving is held on the fourth Thursday in November. But in Britain, Harvest Festivals are traditionally held on the Sunday closest to the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox and it’s usually towards the end of September.
Whenever they take place, though, the festivals are the perfect time to express gratitude for the abundance of fresh and healthful foods that are available to us. They’re a wonderful reminder to get together with friends and family – whenever we have the opportunity - for feasting and for fun. But amid the celebrations, there’s a more serious side too. Many countries have a long-standing tradition of remembering those less fortunate, at harvest-time, of sharing the abundance that many of us are lucky enough to be able to take for granted.
At Sunsweet, we have a century-long heritage of planting, tending and harvesting and somewhere in the region of 300 farmer members share their knowledge about cultivation with their peers. By late summer, our orchards in California are ready for harvest. Finally! This follows:
- The 4 to 6 years that the growers must wait before their trees bear fruit.
- The spring, when the orchards become covered – so fleetingly - in a fragrant blanket of white blossom.
- The summer, when growers must irrigate the orchards – via an extensive network of reservoirs - using water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The plums that become prunes are tree-ripened. Experienced growers can determine the optimum time for harvesting by assessing the fruit’s firmness and sugar content. Harvesting, helped by a machine that gently shakes each tree trunk, ensures that the tree-ripened plums never touch the ground, and this marks the end of the crop cycle for our growers.
We’ve created a super-interesting video that shows the Sunsweet harvest. And our website is packed full of fascinating facts about all things prune-related. Why not check them out?
Please Note: Prunes are good for digestion and help keep you regular, when 100g are eaten as part of a varied and balanced diet and an active lifestyle. Always consult a GP if you have any health concerns.
