How are cherries harvested?
Sweets are sometimes picked by hand, but tarts and most sweets use what is called a shaker. Most orchards use a team consisting of a tractor driver, a shaker driver and tarp pullers. The tarp is lined up with the tree, then pulled under the tree. The shaker then shakes the tree, so the cherries fall on the tarp. The tarp is rolled back up and the cherries roll onto a conveyer belt and are deposited into a tank of cold water. Some farms have one man shakers that have a tarp already built on, so the driver can operate the whole operation from the driver’s seat.
