Apple orchards on Åland

A wet working day in Tjudö

6.30am, somewhere on Åland Islands. It’s raining outside. I can hear the drops knocking the windows. I don’t want to get up. And if it wasn’t the end of the season I wouldn’t have to. But it’s getting late and we need to pick those apples, rain or no.

I pack my bag with my lunch and a big thermo of hot tea. I’ll need it: it’s cold outside. I put some warm clothes on then I wrap myself in flashy plastic. Green rain pants, orange raincoat, yellow plastic gloves and red rain boots. With those layers I look like a colour blind Michelin Man.

It’s more and more difficult to walk in the orchard as the mud is forming all around. And I don’t even talk about the stuck trailers we have to push. The bags are heavier, our movements slower and the morale is down. Well I must admit that with all this plastic I don’t mind that much. It’s just less exciting because it’s more difficult to talk with a hood. And because I can feel the boys unhappy around me.

But that’s it. After six hours outside the boss decides that it’s raining too much. It’s 3pm and I already finished my day at work.

That’s where I leave you. Do what you want: I’ll take my bike and have a 30 minutes ride to the closest shop and buy some food. My hair will be wet so will be my sweatshirt. But I don’t care: the sauna is waiting for me home…

Breathe the damp air.

Enjoy

... Practical Corner

Did you know that the orchards of Åland provide most of Finnish apples for the year to come? There are a lot of different varieties such as Rubinola, Santana, Lobo,... All are picked between August and November then stocked and packed depending on the demand.