Where do Thanksgiving foods come from? No, not the grocery store.
Well, thanks to a Twitter campaign by United Farm Workers (UFW), you can now learn what it takes to supply America’s grocery stores ahead of Thanksgiving. The nation’s largest farm workers union asked its followers to share their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, and in return, UFW tweeted back how farmers harvest our favorite holiday ingredients.
Founded in 1962 by activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the union has advocated for stronger workplace protections, unionization, and education for the nation’s farm workers. This week they are encouraging people to #ThankAFarmworker ahead of the holidays.
Twitter users shared their favorite Thanksgiving staples, from cornbread stuffing to cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, and United Farm Workers shared real-life stories and footage from the fields, with explanations of harvesting methods, pay rates, and workplace hazards.
Some of the most common Thanksgiving ingredients — squash, carrots, and celery — come with dangers you might not know about. Carrots and celery, for example, contain “photoreactive” juices that can irritate sun-exposed skin, while squash vines are notoriously abrasive on hands and limbs.
Carrots and celery both have juices that are “photoreactive” and can be dangerous to exposed skin when harvesting. You’ll notice here these workers are careful to cover their skin even though it was over 100 degrees. pic.twitter.com/3LuI9XqFwh
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 23, 2020
Other popular Thanksgiving veggies are picked at a piece rate, forcing many farm workers to work at dangerously quick speeds.
Parsley workers earn around $1.90 per crate of 60-65 bundles. The skill of the worker here is astonishing. Video is from near Oxnard. pic.twitter.com/8MDov88SeS
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 23, 2020
Charlie showed us how he harvests turnips. He’s paid piece rate – he earns $1.50 every 2 buckets. He is the fastest in his crew and averages 24-26 buckets/hr.
Rushing without skill could easily cost you a finger. pic.twitter.com/myfwdpi1Ke
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 23, 2020
And others, like the hearty brussel sprout, require quick, dangerous harvesting methods. Across the Thanksgiving table, a whole lot of work goes into picking your family’s meal.
Brussels sprouts grow on a very tough, woody stem— which means workers need both strength and precision to avoid chopping injury. Here’s a video.pic.twitter.com/im2H9TI0L3
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 23, 2020
a. Ginger takes at least 4-6 months to mature underground but trimming the greens off helps hasten its maturity.
b. If you’ve never seen pineapples grow, google it— they look wild. Here’s a video of a fascinating teamwork approach to the harvest.
pic.twitter.com/q6j4oB66ln— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 22, 2020
Often a hydraulic machine is used to shake the trees, bringing the ripe pecans cascading down and ready to be collected. Before they are ripe, workers clear a 15ft circle around the tree so they’re easy to gather. Here’s a video of a pecan tree shaking.pic.twitter.com/jOqA8rTMis
— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) November 23, 2020
As you sit down for this year’s (hopefully virtual) Thanksgiving meal, consider adding a farmworker to your list of thanks. You can also help the advocacy and farmer support efforts of United Farm Workers by donating online.