Life on the Move: Seasonal Work / Yamanashi Edition ① Peach Bud Thinning

I have been working in Yamanashi for about 6 years now,
helping out with grapes and peaches.

In the Kofu Basin in early spring, if you look from a slightly elevated spot,
you can see the pink color of the peach orchards spreading out.
If we didn't thin the buds,
I wonder if it would be even pinker!?
I sometimes think.
Rapeseed blossoms and dandelions are also starting to bloom,
and I can work in scenery that really feels like spring.

When I was in Yamanashi before for grape work,
it was just around the time for the peach harvest,
and at that time, I would sometimes be given peaches.

Peach bud thinning is done in 2 to 3 stages,
and after that, fruit thinning is also done.

What a time-consuming process!

And when it comes to the final fruit thinning stage,
they tell me if I want them, I can have the thinned peaches.

Peaches that are still hard are peeled like apples,
and when you eat them, they make a crunchy sound.

They are different from the peaches sold in stores,
but they have a unique quality as a fruit in their own right.

As for the peaches that have ripened,
I could sometimes get peaches that had slight blemishes and couldn't be shipped.
(They were perfectly fine, so I was grateful.)

I made things like peach jam,
and was able to enjoy such luxuries.

I hope the peaches I thinned the buds for
grow up to be delicious.
Even though I can't eat them! (lol