Fruit picking or fruit harvesting is a seasonal activity (paid or

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasur ...

al) that occurs during

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

time in areas with

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

growing wild or being farmed in

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s. Some farms market "

You-Pick A You-Pick ("U-Pick") or Pick-Your-Own (PYO) farm operation is a type of farm gate direct marketing (farm-to-table) strategy where the emphasis is on customers doing the harvesting themselves. A PYO farm might be preferred by people who like to se ...

" for orchards, such as the tradition of Apple picking in North America, as a form of value-add

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

Types of fruit

Apple picking

Apple picking is an activity found at

apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

farms. Apple orchards may be opened to the public, allowing consumers to pick their own apples or purchase pre-picked apples. Although this is ultimately a method of purchasing apples, it is often a social activity as well. Apple picking is often a very popular

dating Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

ritual in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. Apple orchards catering to a family outing will provide additional activities beyond the picking of apples. Many have

petting zoo A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many genera ...

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s and country shops that sell related products such as home-made jams and jellies. This aspect of the activity is especially popular in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...

and Southern Québec in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The apples that fall off the trees are often used to make apple cider.

Apple cider Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in the Un ...

is a juice made grinding the apples, then pressing out the juice.

Workers

Most fruit picking is done by

migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who Human migration, migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant worker ...

s, who can be paid relatively low wages. In California, Mexican migrants most frequently do the work. There has been much controversy about replacing workers with automation. It puts many out of work. In Australia and New Zealand, people engaging in

backpacker tourism Backpacking is a form of low-cost, independent travel, which often includes staying in inexpensive lodgings and carrying all necessary possessions in a backpack. Once seen as a marginal form of travel undertaken only through necessity, it has b ...

do a lot of the fruit-picking work while on a working holiday visa. The Australian government encourages people on this visa to do this sort of work for a minimum of three months so they can add another year to their visa. This benefit does not apply to all parts of Australia - one must undertake work in selected post-code areas to become eligible for the extra year.

Monoculture In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming: both a 1,000-hectare/acre cornfield and a 10-ha/acre field of organic kale are ...

orchards can face particular labor-timetable issues.

Automation

As labor costs are still quite expensive in fruit picking,

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

s are being designed that can replace humans for this kind of work. The research is still in full progress, especially as the robots need to be carefully designed so that they do not bruise the fruit while picking. One solution is the use of suction grippers. Citrus fruit robot pickers have thus far been the focus of research and development, but cherry pickers are also being researched.

Fruit picking in art

File:The Fall of Man by Lukas Cranach.jpg,

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder (german: Lucas Cranach der Ältere ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is know ...

, ''Paradise'' (detail), 1530 File:Christian Berentz - Flowers, Fruit with a Woman Picking Grapes - WGA1936.jpg,

Christian Berentz Christian Berentz or Bernetz (1658–1722) was a German Baroque painter. Biography Berentz was born in Hamburg, Germany. According to the RKD pupil he was the pupil of Hermann Kamphusen from 1667 to 1673 and then from 1673 to 1677 a pupil of G ...

, ''Flowers, Fruit with a Woman Picking Grapes'', 1696 File:William-adolphe bouguereau the grape picker.jpg,

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female ...

, ''The grape picker'', 1875 File:Gauguin La récolte.jpg,

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, ''La récolte'' or ''Homme cueillant des fruits'', 1897 File:Rippl Fruit-picking Women.jpg,

József Rippl-Rónai József Rippl-Rónai (23 May 1861 – 25 November 1927) was a Hungarian painter. He first introduced modern artistic movements in the Hungarian art. Biography He was born in Kaposvár. After his studies at the High School there, he went to ...

, ''Fruit-picking Women'' (Gyümölcsszedő hölgyek'') File:August Macke Obsternte 1913.jpg, August Macke, ''Obsternte'', 1913 File:Frantisek Jakub Obsternte.jpg, František Jakub (Czech, 1875 - 1940), ''Obsternte'', by 1950

References