Lemon Picking / Packing
Sweet Picking Jobs for Lemons While Travelling in the Land Down Under
The vast variety of citrus growing in Australia may not be all homegrown by the locals, but they are all cultivated in most areas of the country. From the tropics to the much colder areas of Australia, these citrus fruits are all over the place. Lemons and limes are most commonly grown as some fruits can only be used as fragrance enhancers and garnishes. The Bergamot Orange Citrus bergamia for example, is not actually edible but it’s extensively grown for its fragrance. Among all the citrus fruits, lemons dominate the plantations; the Lisbon Lemon Citrus is mostly favorite because of its ability to produce three times a year with very short interval periods.
Picking lemons can be very interesting because of their sweet smelling scent. Depending on their variety, it may take several months for a lemon to fully grow from a small green bud to the time they can be picked and they are usually ready for picking once they turned yellow or yellow green. The average size of a full grown lemon is 2-3 inches and experts say that it is better to refer to their size for picking rather than wait for them to totally turn yellow. Their glossy appearance can also be an indication that they are ready for picking and it’s not advisable to be left on the tree for too long or else they will fall off the tree from getting overripe.
Lemon picking is not hard, you only have to hold in your hand the whole fruit and gently twist them to detach them from the tree, others use special nippers to take them, but generally bare hands can do the work. When picking a lemon, make sure not to damage the branches of the lemon tree as they are subject to bear fruit again in no time.
If you are a backpacker in Australia, fruit picking jobs may be an extreme activity that you can try with all the benefits in favor of you. Tourists are becoming more and more adept to this lifestyle because of the leeway it gives them where money is concerned. Besides being able to earn for your vacation, you also have the chance to extend your visiting holiday visa for another 12 months if you have been working on the farm for 3 months. Fruit picking jobs offer two types of payments, most farms pay their workers by the piece, so if you harvest well and the weather is being cooperative, it’s possible that you earn enough. Others will pay you by the hour of work and if you are lucky, farm owners will offer free food and lodging.
If you are contemplating on applying as a worker, make sure that you are physically capable of working long hours under the heat of the sun in the rural farms. Most of the time you will be required to start working before the sun rises, and continue to do so way after the sun has set. Pay is good and reasonable so expect to be working real hard during your stay.
