A Trip to the Dried Apricot Factory

I joined second grade for a short field trip to an apricot factory.

One of the parents of this class owns this business so I knew it would be a special trip.

First we put our hands through a sanitizing machine. The students did not like the smell of the solution. I unwitting replied, "Oh, it's alcohol." The students started of chorus of the word "alcohol" (a taboo word) and someone else said it's "menthol." Glad we clarified that...

The apricots are washed and dried. Then each apricot is hand-checked for blemishes and stems which are cut-off.

The apricots are hand-packed in plastic containers.

The students had fun running the vacuum package sealing machine. It sealed four packages at once.

The students had fun packing the smaller containers into the larger boxes as the apricots came off the conveyor belt.

The students are being presented with a plaque from the owner of the company.

Malatya's apricots are "world famous" and now you know the fabrication story behind that tiny apricot. Hopefully, I'll get to see the harvest as well.

Just a side note: right now the special delicacy is green apricots. Yes, Malatyans pick some apricots early while they are still green and fuzzy and eat them. They are a little tart and crunchy for me but based upon the number of street vendors selling them, they must be quite popular.