Daily LifeMirabelle

Not only was the heat wave that encompassed France during the summer of 2003 hard on humans, it was also hard on fruit, mirabelles for example, a French fruit that is a light yellow, taste somewhat sour and is the size of a golf ball.

Very rare, mirabelles are only grown in the south of France and in the Alsace region. They can only be harvested during a one-month period in the summer.

Another trait is that they need cool temperatures to be harvested correctly, below 70-degrees. Needless to say, the cool 70-degree weather was hard to come by during the summer of 2003; so as a result, some producers had to have their harvest early in the morning, some as early as three.

Otherwise mirabelles are not all that fragile. The main technique used to harvest them is to place a canvas tarp under a mirabelle tree and then violently shake it. This brings down the mirabelles onto the canvas and from there they are pickup by machine and sorted.

Mirabelles, because of their rarity, are mostly used in fine patisseries and to make alcohol.