Q: What happens during an Illinois apple harvest?
A lot goes into apple harvest at Rendleman Orchards. Determining when each apple variety is ready to harvest takes experience, looking at size, color and taste. We also have a tool that tests juice ratio and sugar brix (a sweetness scale) to ensure peak freshness!
We have 24 H-2A contract workers who harvest our apple crop. Our harvest crew management team decides daily what will be harvested next and trains our H-2A workers on how to pick each orchard. Early in the season, they are told to pick for color, leaving some that do not meet the color or size criteria on the trees for later harvest.
Each picking crew has two tractor drivers pulling harvest bins. They must keep up with the harvest crew so there is always a bin to place apples in. They are trained to drive carefully not to bounce or bruise the apples during transport to the packing house.
Harvest workers are also trained to handle the fruit gently from tree to harvest bag to harvest bin for highest quality produce. Pickers are also instructed on ladder-handling to avoid damage to the apples and personal safety.
Our on-farm packing facility is a hub of activity! Apples are brought in from the orchards, washed and sorted according to size, and packed based upon customer preference and due date.
Our large coolers hold apples until time to pack and ship. Forklifts then move them from wagon to cooler to packing line and truck loading.
Our loading docks accommodate all-size trucks, including our own refrigerated box trucks, for transport to wholesale customers. A small portion of our apple crop is sold retail through our on-farm market and our online store for shipping.
During the off-season, we spend months taking care of our orchards and preparing the apple trees for best harvest outcomes.
About the farmer: Michelle Sirles is co-operator/owner of Rendleman Orchards in Union County.
See more: In-Cider Information: Local Orchards Use Farm-Fresh Apples to Produce Fall Favorites
