Harvesting Apples and Deer

Yesterday we harvested 65 bins of Honeycrisp. We were hoping to get 80 bins but didn't make it with the crew we had. The forecast is still predicting Monday and Tuesday to be frosty, so we want to get as many Honeycrisps harvested as possible.

Here's Gonzalo clipping a Honeycrisp stem. He is one of our regular employees and does a great job.

And here's Gonzalo picking.

This is the Red Chief block of Honeycrisps. The whiteness on the leaves is from an organic product called Purshade that protects the apples from sunburn. The off color grass in between the rows of trees is the result of having been covered for a month with a reflective material to promote apple color. That material was removed prior to our first pick.

After we started picking this morning, it rained so we shut down. The forecast predicted 20% chance of rain this morning. However, there's a silver lining. I'm excited to report I have now figured out the Chelan forecast predictions for precipitation. Write this down! If the forecast says 20%, that actually means 100%!  It was true during cherry season and now again in apple season.

 The plan is for everyone to dry out and return after lunch providing it's not still raining, I'm not still blogging, and Bill's not still hunting. This ongoing harvest has really gotten in the way of Bill's hunting this year. Tomorrow is the last day for the season, and now he's trying to harvest and hunt.

 Here are some pictures from his scouting opportunities. Do you see the deer in the above picture?

Hey, I just got a phone call. Bill got a deer and the crew has started picking again. Gotta go!