Haskap berries are best picked with a harvester specifically designed to protect both the fruit and the bush. In 2018, the Bee & Thistle Orchard purchased their custom-designed harvester, the Joanna Premium, through Weremczuk Agromachines, Poland. It has special attachments which enable the machine to work low to the ground, maximizing the harvest from each plant. The shaker fingers are gentle and do not damage the fruit nor the bushes. A blower is in line with the conveyor as the berries drop from the main conveyor to the sorting conveyor, blowing air through them to rough clean them from leaves, twigs and extra debris. If you wish to see a video of the Harvester in action, please follow the link to YouTube, where we’ve uploaded a small snippet of our first harvest. Peter is on the tractor, and the conveyor belt is being manned by our good friends and neighbours, Quinn and Calvin. Several of our team were back at the sorting station getting the berries ready for the freezer.