From August to October, mechanical tree “shakers” harvest the crop by vigorously shaking it to the ground. Protected by their outer hulls and shells, the almonds then dry naturally in the warm California sun for 7–10 days before being swept into rows by a “sweeper” machine. After that, a harvester or “pickup” machine drives over the rows, vacuuming the nuts up into a cart that brings them to the edge of the orchard for transport to the next stop on their journey.
Each almond variety is harvested separately, so this process typically happens two to three times per orchard. Also during this period, almond trees begin building the pieces that will become the next year’s crop, so farmers take care to give the trees what they need for this important stage.