Down on the Farm at Harvest

 Its all go here as we are in harvest season, and we have purchased a few things to make the job a bit easier. The first thing was a nut harvester, which I call the Rolly Rake. We did the first harvest by picking up - (luckily) I had just had surgery and could not help at all, but Duncan's back is pretty well right now.

It doesn't require much pressure at all and the nuts pop in quite easily.  To empty it there is a handy little thing in the side of the bucket.

Sometimes there might be a pesky one with a stalk still on it, but it is a relatively  easy procedure. Next of course was carrying the bucket, which got very heavy once over half full. After some investigation we bought a unit which fits on the back of the mower.

Its turned out to be useful for all sorts of things in the garden. You can take it off the mower and put on a handle and use it as a wheelbarrow. I usually drive it up and down the rows, Dave Mettrick shakes the trees, Sandie is on the Rolly Rake, and Duncan ranges through the A203's which have just about finished, so there is only a few nuts to pick up by hand.

Back to the shed for the dehusking

There is a little bit of sorting to do.

Then we put them into small bags and dry them on a heated clothes rack for a couple of days as the dehusking leaves them quite sticky. But it is important not to heat them up too much or they will go rancid. When we have enough we put them in big bags and store them on a crate in the big shed, where the temperature is very low, but where they can dry out to remove water and make them really rich and tasty.

 This is about 25kg of nuts - from which we would hope to get 12kg of kernel.

I have been making a few  goodies from the A203's we harvested earlier. Dukkah. Chocolate macadamias, and candied macadamias (which also have a bit of cinnamon in them)

Now we are hoping to apply for Organic status with Organic Farms. There is no-one in a pod in Gisborne - they are registering as individuals, which is more expensive and not so easy, so I have offered to convene a pod if necessary. It looks like quite a bit of work! However it will be another year before we sell our crop so we will just take it gradually.

Please remember that Macadamias are best stored in the fridge.