Cranberry Harvest 2019 is done: Berries are for Sale at Bishop’s Orchards!

Killingworth Brand Scarlet Knight Cranberries
Killingworth Brand Scarlet Knight Cranberries

Welcome to Harvest time 2019. The 2.5 acre bog was dry harvested over a 7 day period by Keith and 1-2 helpers. It was a family affair, as brother-in-law Dan and nephews Dave and Max assisted to bring the berries off the field in burlap sacks, then run them thru the de-chaffer, then into the bins. One the day’s harvest was done, the bins (each holding 300 lbs of cranberries) were loaded onto a trailer and brought to Guilford and put in the cooler at 36 degrees. They will be packaged as time and orders for the berries come in.

De-Chaffing Cranberries to remove vines and leaves from the berries. A grate holds back the berries to remove the longer vines and chaff, while a blower pushees leaves and smaller chaff sideways out onto the ground. The berries are collected in boxes underneath the machine, then transferred to the bins.

The yield was moderate, as expected for only the 3rd year in the ground (all perennial fruit crops take multiple years to establish the plants, and develop the growth to support the crop). The quality is excellent, with full colored, nice size berries. The berries will all be hand sorted to remove any seconds or damaged berries. This is a time consuming process!

Loading Killingworth Cranberries
Just harvested cranberries