Pea-viners are huge farm machines that lumber down the highway 5 at a time. They go from farm to farm working from sun up to sundown and some times later. They are equipped with lights. In the fields they slowly make their way around the field. They work like a vacuum cleaner--to me that is---sucking up the pea vines and the vines go up a ramp and the somehow the peas are stripped off the vines and out of their pods and deposited in another hopper. The spent vines are shot out the back of the machine. When the hopper is full the peas are dumped into a waiting truck and whisked off to the frozen food plant. Namely--Twin City Foods in Stanwood.
After the leftover vines have lain in the fields for a day or so they are baled and used for cow hay.
BUT:
Twin City Foods announced last year that because of a surplus of peas and the use lessening they would do no peas this year. That leaves the farmers that have planted peas for years trying to decide what to do.
6 comments:
People are eating less peas? That's interesting. I wonder if we are substituting them with French fries and potato chips.
Interesting harvest photos, MB. I enjoy watching the farm machinery at work.
I've not seen one of these before, but they are impressive. It's so sad that the market for peas seems to have dried up (so to speak). That really does put those farmers in a bind.
I want some peas!
Thanks for showing us the pea-viners at work. They must cost a fortune.
When they finish with the peas send them to my house.
«Louis» had forgotten that your area produces many of the peas consumed in the U.S. That frozen food plant in Stanwood supplies most of the frozen peas sold in the Safeway label.
The decision not to pack peas this year puts the farmers in a tough spot.
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