Before harvesting the fruit of our labor, we must first harvest the fruit! |
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| Harvesting Practices | |
Harvesting may be done by collecting natural fallen apples. It may also be done by using a ladder or using a pole with a hook. Some collectors will literally climb up the tree and gather the fruits or sometimes shake the branch or the whole tree. |
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| Nut-Apple Separation | |
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After harvesting, the nuts are separated from the apples. This must be done with tender love and care to avoid crushing the apple which induces the astringent taste. |
| Post-harvest and Storage | |
| Containers | |
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Plastic pails, baskets and tiklis are commonly used containers in collecting and transporting the cashew fruits. |
Storage |
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Cashew apples should be stored in freezers to avoid spoilage since apples are highly perishable. |
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The nuts are dried for more than two days under the sun to reduce the moisture content before they are stored. They are stored in jute sacks, amacan and cans. The optimum safe moisture content for storage is from 8.2% to 9.2%. This is in equilibrium with the surrounding air at 70 RH at 27ºC. If properly stored, the nuts can be kept for two years. |
