Kate and I are staying at an RV park just outside of Yuma, Arizona. All around us are fields being cultivated. It has been fascinating to watch the different activities. Last week we went across the street to watch lettuce being picked. It was quite amazing!
Lettuce field ready for harvest
Harvested field
We were surprised at how much is left in the fields – apparently if they aren’t perfect then they are discarded. It seems a shame to waste it.
Lettuce field in the foreground
Just past the harvested lettuce field is what was a cabbage field that was picked a week before. It has already been turned under and will be planted withing 10 days.
The farm workers arrive by bus – there were anywhere from 6 to 18 picking at each machine. Some picked, cleaned, bagged, and put on a shelf. Others packed the boxes. Others made up boxes and stacked them. They were taken off the machine in boxes, on pallets, ready to go to the distribution center and then delivered to stores. The pickers would cut the lettuce, clean it, bag it, and put it on the shelf – in FOUR SECONDS!
Hard work! Bending all day – and masked
The video below will give you a sense of how fast and hard they worked. I have a new appreciation for our food after watching all of this.
