The journey of a peach
Welcome to Gleanings… today, we bring you the “journey of a peach”
Peaches arrive at Gleanings in bins on trucks from processing centers. These peaches have been rejected, bruised, and discarded. Unwanted, they arrive not knowing what their fate is.
Peaches used at Gleanings are ALL donated. They are not suitable for sale, either because they are too big, bruised, past ripe, or “mishaped”.
Summer staffer Jacob runs tower, dumping bins of peaches into the production line, then pressure washing the bins so they are ready to be refilled.
Once dumped into production, the peaches are sent to inspection:
Haley says “at inspection I am sorting peaches, looking for mush, which gets thrown away in a bin”
After inspection the peaches are sent to take a bath - everything looks better when given a good wash.
Bath time!
The water bath pushes the peaches down the line to the cutters.
Elevator going up!
The cutters split peaches in half and cut a cylinder around the pit.
Right side: Victoria, KK, Jonathan, Josh
Left side: Nick, Alissa, Makoa
Alissa says “at cutter I put the stem up on the peaches.”
Right side: summer staffer Daniel, Elizabeth and Morgan
Left side: Morgan, Zoe
Morgan Schlumberger says “at cutters you flip the peach so it's stem up and try not to zone out the best as you can cuz otherwise everything will go wrong and the louder you sing the better.”
Right side: Jared, Micah, Joleen, Henna
Left side: Simi Valley friends and Luke from Dinuba
Jared says “at cutters we make the stems stick up and if they're squishy put them on the conveyer belt.”
Henna says “it's best if you make it into a game!”
When the peaches exit the cutters they separate the cores from the peach halves and the peaches feed onto a long conveyer belt up and over to cupup
Wheeeeeee
Peaches are shaken down this ramp that helps spread them evenly onto the flats below.
“This is soooo shaky” - Peach
Peaches on flats are then “cupped up” so they can be sent to the field.
Right side: local group and summer staff
Left side: Emma, Mariah, Alyssa
Emma says “at cupup we look for peaches and make sure the flesh is sticking up instead of the skin, I usually look more for pits to remove because they are more important to get rid of”.
Full and cupped up flats travel down the path to the stacker, where they are put into stacks of roughly 22.
It's a Ferris Wheel for peaches!
Finished stack
From the stacker, forklifts take finished stacks to the sulfur gas chambers. Peaches are treated with sulfur gas to keep their color when dried (otherwise they'd turn black) and to prevent bugs. It's also a requirement for shipping overseas. The next morning the peaches are placed in the field through a process called “layout” and then another cup up process is performed to assure peaches are all flesh side up and all pits are removed.
Freshly laid out peaches
Peaches that will be picked up tomorrow, notice the color change that occurs as the peaches tan (for roughly a week depending on temperature and humidity).
On pickup day, the peach flats are restacked and brought in to the dried fruit station. The flats are then put into the auger to remove the dried fruit.
Elijah says “at dry fruit we majestically lift the pallets off of the stack and then with all of the strength we can muster you heave it onto the auger which then eats it alive and drills it down to the last peach.”
George and Jason working dried fruit. Flats exit the auger and are immediately fed back through to be reloaded with fresh fruit! George and Jason are doing a quick check and removing all broken flats.
Once through the auger the peaches feed up and are put into a bin or buckets.
Once packaged, peaches are shipped all over the world in trucks.
Staff member Amber and Victoria praying for a convoy of hope truck.
Fritz (director of Gleanings) Peach Poem
8/6/2010
If I were a peach
What would I preach,
If I were a Gleaning’s nectarine
How would I explain my doctrine?
Gleanings saved my life from going rotten
Just like you were saved by the only begotten
When I was dumped in that wooden bin
I lost my hope I could not see myself win
Until I found myself on a belt to be inspected
Some hands touched me and I felt respected
to go on and be washed in the trough
I enjoyed the swim before it got rough
Somebody forced me to lay stem up
I looked up and saw the sharp knife coming from the top
Surely my life is over I will get smashed
What a waste after I just got washed
Sliced in three pieces I lay on the belt
It happened so fast I haven’t even felt
The removal of my hard heart
I was changed in an instant made new like a piece of art
As my core was tossed to the middle
My future seemed like a riddle
What am I going to be now
What am I going to do and how
I would find out soon
They lay me on a tray to turn me into a prune
After being sulphured for the night
I gave up without a fight
I had a week to think in the field
Outward I shriveled up but inside I got healed
Ready to face the world
I fell of the tray and was hurled
Into a bucket down the shoots
And lay there with a lot of other fruits
My destiny only God knows
I will become a snack for someone God choose
God’s blessing to a hungry Child
I feel Jesus’ love and how He smiled
To use me in this way
To make some hungry persons day
I’m proud to be of use
I will travel to the end of the world like a cruise
Who could have thought that earlier day
When in that call bin I lay
That’s my message today
That if you feel low and you pray
Lord what is your plan with me
How do I hear you what is the key
God is using the broken and the bruised
About this don’t be confused
God has never anybody refused
That comes to Him with an open heart
He is ready to impart
This is the day for a new start
Don’t look at your neighbor God is talking to you
Speak to Him in faith He will make something new
Out of your life that you will never regret
So get out of the boat and get wet
God bless you all