This Simple Invention Has a Fascinating Secret History!
September 17, 2024
Source: Lee Valley
Have you ever been able to recall how you used to run through your grandparents’ orchard, the sun on your skin, looking at the apples or pears that were almost within your grasp? Back then, there was always a solution – a fruit picker, a very basic tool which can be handed down from one generation to another and used to pick the fruit from the highest branch.
Nowhere is this more conspicuous than in this innovative design of the late 1800s that allowed for harvesting of fruits and other crops from trees with ease, without even having to ascend the trees in the process. Its early designs were straightforward: It is a very long stick having a small basket or a set of hooks at one end which is designed in a way that it does not cause any harm to the fruit.
In the course of time, the fruit picker was perfected and the cage was built to be strong and metallic like the one seen in the modern kitchen or in an orchard. But at core, it has not changed, it still remains as one of the best works of art. After fruit orchards gained popularity in the 19th and the early 20th centuries, the fruit picker became an essential tool for farmers as well as families. When food was grown in the backyard or bought from the neighbourhood store there was a certain feel of being in touch with the ground. Using this tool, hand picking of fruits was a common practice in most of the homes.
It was not only the question of the effectiveness of the system implemented. In the course of the event, the fruit picker was able to unite people. Enjoying a family trips to pick fruits, kids closely observing how the basket gets filled up with the fruits they love, and the satisfaction of returning home with basket full of fresh fruits at the end of the day was all an added fun. This simple device was not only a tool; it was a part of the life rhythm that tells about the era when the fruits of our labor were literally the fruits.
In today’s technologically advanced society, the fruit picker is still considered as a much-valued piece of nostalgia. It still teaches people about nature and how to be close to it even in an old family orchard or even a backyard garden. Gathering fruit using one of these tools brings to mind the old days, the tradition of people’s ancestors and the earth.
The fruit picker could be considered as one more garden tool, but it is an example of people’s interaction with their food and the environment for centuries. It represents a time in which getting a fruit was also a process, which gave people joy and produced fruits that tasted even better than they looked. If you have ever had a chance to use one, then you’ll agree that it is not just a tool to pick fruits, for instance. It is about going back in time, and to find the roots of the present traditions that are still important today.