An Apple a Day at Allan Bros.
Did you know that an apple bin can hold 2200 apples? We sure didn’t. In fact, for two ladies who grew up in Yakima with orchards surrounding our childhood homes, we knew an embarrassingly small amount about apple harvest at all. Thankfully, we met some really great peeps at Allan Bros. who took us on an sweet tour of their orchards while Gala harvest was in full-swing.
Now we’re feeling semi-versed in a few things orchard, and fully-versed in our appreciation for the hard work and ritual that is this age-old time in our Valley: the almighty Harvest Season.
Luke Anderson, our trusty tour guide and Yakima Valley Area Manager for Allan Bros. (also a fellow IKE Cadet like Bridget), introduced us to soil types like “caliche” and he taught us about the purpose of the reflective foil on the ground in the orchards – it’s for color for the apples. Did you know that? (Lauren thought it was to collect fallen apples and Bridget thought it was to keep down weeds. We were wrong.)
We met Rosalio Ramirez, Valley View Orchard Manager, who has been with Allan Bros. for 39 years, and is described as “the resident green thumb.” He is extremely fit, modest, and looks too young for his tenure. We wanted to know his secret. Apparently, it’s walking the hills of the orchards daily, and eating an apple a day (for realz). We were in awe of him and Clemente Gomez, Valley View Supervisor, who has 15 years on the team.
After we had our fill of Galas, we headed off to find some elusive Asian pears hidden within the organic Anjous. Next door to the pears, were the cherries. It was here that Luke showed us the secrets of keeping trees fruiting properly (very tedious pruning work), and talking us through the irrigation techniques Allan Bros. uses. Their constant innovative thinking has led to a 60% reduction in water usage throughout their orchards.
While “innovation” and “agriculture” may not be words that the general public string together, it happens daily around here. Whether it’s about ideas to grow trees in order to prevent and minimize ladder injuries (which cause the most accidents in the orchard), or finding new ways to work to protect the environment, innovation is always on Luke’s mind. Take their practice of tree recycling. They used to replace old trees using the method, “Push, Pile, Burn.” Now, they use the practice, “Push, Pile, Chip,” where the chipped trees become organic matter throughout the orchards. We love this. So does Mother Earth.
Luke, Rosalio, Clemente and the whole team at Allan Bros., thank you. Our hats are off to everyone in our community that works so hard during harvest, and beyond. We lucky recipients of our Valley’s world-class produce are grateful.
Cheers to harvest, Yakima Valley!
