Thread by @UFWupdates

As you shop and prepare your #Thanksgiving meals, we'd like you to know a little more about the work behind the ingredients and the people doing that work to put food on our tables.

Here's a thread for everyone who wants to thank a farm worker this week.

#WeFeedYou

Veggies make great sides on the #Thanksgiving table.

Here Teresa harvests beets in the Oxnard area. She spends her 8 hour workday on her knees on the damp earth.

#WeFeedYou

Sweet potatoes are mostly unearthed by harvesting machinery but then cleaned and sorted by hand. Here’s a video Raquel sent from Livingston, CA. #WeFeedYou

Asparagus requires delicate handling and a grueling posture. Harvesters have a high rate of repetitive strain injuries. This video is of an asparagus worker from Gonzalez, CA. #WeFeedYou

Fan-favorite Charlie harvests turnips. He's paid piece rate — earns $1.50 every two buckets. He is the fastest in his crew averaging 24-26 buckets per hr. Rushing is dangerous, you could easily lose a finger.

Here’s where we pause to remind you we say #WeFeedYou because there would be nothing on that Thanksgiving table without farm workers.

Supporting us during the season of thanks and giving will help fund change all year long.

DONATE HERE: ufw.org/thanksgiving20…

To harvest brussels sprouts, workers use a machete to chop the tough, woody stems and remove the sprouts. People aren’t always connected to what their food looks like growing. #WeFeedYou

Here’s a picture from Parlier, CA (near Fresno) of a worker in the squash crop. It was 98° but notice Amadeo is covering his skin with gloves and long sleeves.

That’s because squash vines are intensely irritating to the skin, especially as they get drier close to harvest.

Green beans are durable enough to be largely harvested by machines, but specialty varieties are more likely to be harvested by hand in a process similar to this. (Video shows snap peas from Salinas, CA.)

Are mashed potatoes on your #Thanksgiving menu? Bea is in Pasco, WA where she works getting the potato crop underground for winter storage. She bundles up to keep warm, as the ideal storage temperature inside is just above freezing.

In this video from OR, Joaquin is dumping out bags of onions after they dried in burlap bags. He’s pouring them into rows for the machine that will collect them. His incredible skill and stamina make him “a champion” on his crew.

Garlic seasons so many foods we enjoy. Flor sent us this video from where she was harvesting garlic in Arvin, CA in 97° temps. #WeFeedYou

Want to stay in touch no matter what? Join the UFW listserve and receive updates so you can make a difference for farmworkers and take part in critical action alerts. Join @ ufw.org/sign-up

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Farm workers harvest the celery we'll use in our stuffing and to give aroma and flavor to so many foods. This work takes accuracy, strength and skill. #WeFeedYou

Leeks in your #Thanksgiving stuffing? Guillermo shared this vid from near Oxnard. Workers spend 8 hrs/day, 6 days/week kneeling on the ground, up down rows to harvesting. It's a labor intensive crop that requires skilled manual work. #WeFeedYou

Mushrooms are another flavorful ingredient. Anania is a union member and mushroom worker on CAs Central Coast and has been doing this work 7+ years. Mushroom work is year round. #WeFeedYou

You definitely used onions twice so here’s another view. This onion harvest video came from Indiana, which doesn't have heat regulations. The only protection from the sun is if there are trees at the end of a row. #WeFeedYou

Fernando shared this video of the cilantro harvest near Oxnard CA. He earns around $2 per box of 60 bunches. He is remarkably fast and skilled. (Those are twist ties at his ankles- can you tell?)

Parsley can be used to season your stuffing and soup. Vicente has been working in CAs fields cutting parsley for 22 years. He shares the repetitive work is very hard on the body and takes skill to do at the rapid pace needed. #WeFeedYou

Lettuce all be mindful of where that salad came from! Yuliana shared this video of the lettuce harvest of Salinas CA. Known as the Salad Bowl of the World, the area is famous for fresh produce.
(sorry about the puns but we can’t promise to stop) #WeFeedYou

Patricia’s skill is incredibly respected by her peers. Radishes are a great addition to our salad. They take 3-4 weeks from seed to harvest, longer in cooler temperatures. Hand harvested radishes are a labor intensive crop as Patricia demonstrates here. #WeFeedYou

Pomegranate seeds and juice come to us thanks to folks like Juan. He and his coworkers harvest the sweet fruit that commands premium prices at grocery stores. They earn minimum wage. #WeFeedYou

Need acid in your salad dressing? Lemons are perfect. Marce is one of 20,000 lemon harvesters in the San Joaquin Valley citrus region. As essential workers they assure the national supply of fresh lemons. #WeFeedYou

What goes into our apple pie?
Carlos was harvesting apples in Corralitos CA. He stabilizes himself on a 16-foot ladder & reaches around to pick as much as he can before he has to move to reach other parts of the tree. His full bag will weigh 50+ pounds. #WeFeedYou

Blueberry pie is something special for any occasion. Abel shared this video from where he was harvesting blueberries near Wasco, CA. He has to work rapidly yet skillfully to avoid picking overripe and green berries. #WeFeedYou

Absolute unit! Harvesting pumpkins can be exhausting work. Despite the difficult conditions, workers typically earn minimum wage. This #Thanksgiving remember the workers behind the pumpkin pie on your table. #WeFeedYou

When you buy #Thanksgiving wine make it a union wine. Noemi's a #UFW member & works for CK Mondavi who contributes towards her families medical, dental & vision plan.

Find more products produced by workers under UFW contract @ ufw.org/ul #WeFeedYou

Yolanda picks wine grapes in Sunnyside WA. As a proud UFW member under union contract at Chateau @SteMichelle she enjoys 16 paid holidays, health insurance and a pension plan in addition to yearly increases. Si Se Puede! #WeFeedYou

We Feed You is literal. As we wrap up our thread (for now- did we miss anything?) remember we can’t do #Thanksgiving without farm workers.

You can donate here to help fund change all year long @ ufw.org/thanksgiving20…
#WeFeedYou

What ingredients have we missed? Time to donate, then keep watching, feel free to make requests! ⬇️