Knocking almonds! Dad would pull up the tractor with the trailer next to the
tree, you'd roll out these HUGE and very
HEAVY tarps out under the tree,
being sure to fold them very tightly around the trunk, and then you'd knock
with long,
HEAVY wooden poles until you got all the almonds off. The whole
time you are knocking, little bits of leaf, bark, almond dust, whatever, is
falling down and getting stuck in your hair and the sweat around your neck
and down your shirt. Then you roll up these huge tarps with their
HEAVY
load of almonds and dump them in the trailer. Dad drives the tractor 20 feet
to the next tree, and you start the process all over again. This all in 100
degree Sacramento valley late summer heat. You'd go to bed at night with
your arms frozen in position over your head and hurting like mad. Lovely.
It's all mechanized, now.