Village Life and Traditions During the Carob Harvest Season
In many villages on the Mediterranean coast, late summer and early autumn are the time for the carob harvest. Branches shaken off with long poles, nets laid under trees, pods collected one by one and labor under the hot sun are familiar images of this season. Carob is not just a product in these villages; it is part of a culture that extends from grafted wild trees to molasses, from beekeeping to local names.
In this article, we discuss how carob harvest is done in villages, how the harvest season is reflected in work and life order, and why this accumulation should be protected as a cultural heritage, through the information in the sources and the testimonies conveyed from the field.
When Does the Harvest Start?
Carob fruit ripens on the tree over a long period of time after flowering. It is reported that fruit ripening in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from late spring to late summer, with pods harvested in August and September (Correia & Pestana, 2024). The report of the Western Mediterranean Development Agency also states that harvesting is usually done in late summer or early autumn, with complete darkening of the stem as a sign of maturity (BAKA, 2024).
Harvest time varies from region to region and from year to year. In the geographical indication registration certificate of Alanya Carob, it is written that the harvest is carried out in September-October (TÜRKPATENT, 2025). In the Kozan district of Adana, it was reflected in the news that the harvest started at the end of July in 2024, and products were collected at temperatures exceeding 40 °C in barren lands at an altitude of approximately 600 meters (Gazete Vatan, 2024).
The most important signs that determine the harvest time in villages are the color of the fruit, the condition of the stem and the dryness of the pod. It is also emphasized in the sources that early harvest reduces quality. In the final report of a carob workshop held in Antalya, it was recommended to set official harvest dates to prevent early harvest (Politika Gazetesi, 2023).
Pole, Net, and Manual Labor: How to Harvest
Carob harvesting has relied heavily on manual labor for centuries. According to the BAKA report, the pods are shaken off the branches with long bamboo poles and collected in fibrous nets laid under the tree. The flowers should not be damaged during harvest (BAKA, 2024). This is because the ripe pods of the carob and the flowers of the next year are on the tree at the same time. In the FAO-supported Feedipedia database, based on Batlle and Tous (1997), it is emphasized that next year's flowers are delicate and located close to the ripe pods, so they should not be damaged during harvest (Feedipedia).
This makes harvesting carob a task that requires care. Beating branches randomly can put the next year's crop at risk. Therefore, the knowledge of experienced pickers plays a decisive role in the quality of the harvest.
A producer from Kozan describes the harvest as follows: "We make a branch of rotation from the trees and then collect them one by one." The producer also draws attention to the difficulty of this work under high temperatures (Gazete Vatan, 2024).
- A net or cover is laid under the tree.
- Ripe pods are carefully shaken off with long poles.
- The pods remaining on the branches are collected by hand.
- The product falling into the net is separated from foreign substances and filled into sacks.
- The product is kept in a dry and airy place or delivered directly to the buyer.
The Weight of Labor
The labor-intensive nature of carob harvesting is also reflected in the figures. The BAKA report states that hand harvesting accounts for approximately 30–35 percent of the total production cost. In the same report, it is stated that a worker in orchards in Spain can collect 250–280 kg of product per day. The report also states that mechanical harvesting is possible by adapting traditional olive and almond harvesters, but it is not common in most producing countries (BAKA, 2024).
The fact that a significant part of the trees in Turkey are located on scattered, sloping and stony lands makes machine harvesting even more difficult. For this reason, the harvest season is a period when labor is intensively mobilized in villages. Helping each other in such labor-intensive work is a form of solidarity that is frequently seen in rural life.
Inoculating the Wild: Knowledge Passed Down from Generation to Generation
One of the most important elements of carob culture in villages is grafting. A significant part of carob trees grow wild in Turkey. In a study conducted in Köprülü Canyon National Park in Antalya, it was found that carob is especially dense within the borders of Altınkaya (Zerk), Bozyaka, Gaziler and Karabük villages; it was stated that the village people grafted wild trees and cultured them and the product obtained was an important source of income for the local people (Çetinay et al., 2014).
Grafting is a way to transform the small and less fleshy pods of the wild tree into larger and fleshier pods. In the same study, it was shown that grafted trees gave higher values in fruit characteristics than wild trees (Çetinay et al., 2014). Information such as which tree to graft, which pen to use and when to graft is often kept alive in villages by experience and by transferring it from master to apprentice. In the Alanya Carob registration certificate, it is stated that grafting is carried out between the end of November and the end of March, with varieties specific to the region (TÜRKPATENT, 2025).
Local Names and Folk Language
One of the best signs that show the place of a product in culture is the names given to it. Carob is known by many different names in Turkey. Based on Seçmen (1973), it is stated that the names carob, honey horn, carob and carob are used for carob. It is stated that the local people around Köprülü Canyon call wild trees "jackal horn" (Çetinay et al., 2014).
These names may also carry clues about how the villagers perceived the carob: It is noteworthy that the name "honey horn" suggests the sweetness of the fruit, while the name "jackal horn" is used to distinguish the wild tree from the grafted tree. The origin of the names of the carob and their equivalents in different languages are the subject of a separate article.
After Harvest: Molasses and Home Consumption
Some of the harvested carob is sold, while some is used at home. In the news reported from Kozan, it is stated that the local people make molasses from carob (Gazete Vatan, 2024). Carob molasses is produced by taking the water-soluble sugars of the fruit into water and condensing it; its ability to be stored for a long time makes it a suitable product for post-harvest evaluation. How molasses is made What is Carob Molasses and How is it Made? You can find it in detail in our article.
Carob fruit can also be consumed directly as a table (Çetinay et al., 2014). Properly dried and stored under appropriate conditions pods last for a long time; this makes carob a food that can be carried over to the winter months.
Flowers of Autumn and Beekeepers
Another link of carob with village life is beekeeping. In the workshop report in Antalya, it was stated that carob blooms at a time when other fruit trees are not blooming, and it was recommended to encourage beekeeping (Politika Gazetesi, 2023). The news report that a beekeeper family who placed their hives among carob trees in the Kabasakal neighborhood of Mersin's Silifke district told that they took over the profession from the family and worked to maintain it concretely shows this bond (Gazete Vatan, 2025a).
Thus, the carob tree is the subject of different tasks of the village at different times of the year: harvesting fruit at the end of summer, bees taking advantage of the flowers in autumn, and grafting in winter.
Old Trees, New Saplings
Carob culture in villages does not only belong to the past. It was reflected in the news that a 71-year-old farmer in the Sarıçam district of Adana planted approximately 400 carob saplings on the barren land he rented 18 years ago, received the first product 11 years ago and obtained 7 tons of product in the last harvest. It was reported that the farmer watered his trees with 5-liter canisters and summarized this labor with the words "there is no age limit for planting saplings" (Gazete Vatan, 2025b).
This story reminds us that carob is a tree that grows patiently and that the person who plants it often gets a product after many years. Therefore, planting carob in villages can also be seen as an investment in the future and future generations.
Carob Harvest as Cultural Heritage
In the semi-arid regions of the Mediterranean, multi-purpose trees such as olive and carob have played an important role in shaping the rural landscape; the changing role of these landscapes is also examined in the international literature (Makhzoumi, 1997). Carob harvest; Trees, lands, tools, names and information are part of this rural heritage.
To keep this legacy alive, it is important to:
- Conservation of old and productive trees
- Transferring grafting and pruning knowledge to younger generations
- Observing the correct harvest time and preserving the flowers
- Recording local names, recipes and stories
- Fair trade relations where the producer can be rewarded for his labor
Frequently Asked Questions
When to harvest carob?
It is usually done in late summer and early autumn; depending on the region, it can vary from the end of July to October.
How to collect carob?
A net is laid under the tree, the ripe pods are shaken off with long poles, and the remaining ones on the branches are collected by hand.
What should be considered when harvesting?
The flowers of the next year, which are on the tree in the same period as the ripe pods, should not be damaged. Early harvesting should also be avoided.
What does "coyote horn" mean?
It is the name used by the local people around Köprülü Canyon for wild carob trees.
From Village to Table with Carob Türkiye
Carob, which is collected with labor in Mediterranean villages, is used as a food and industrial raw material all over the world today. As Carob Türkiye, we supply carob fruit, crumbs, flour/powder, seeds and extracts. Carob Fruit page and for all our products Our Products You can review the page. For your wholesale and export requests Contact Now You can contact us on our page.
Domestic resources
Erbaş, S., "Carob Agriculture and Industry Feasibility Report", Western Mediterranean Development Agency (BAKA), Publication No: 153, 2024. DEVELOPMENT LIBRARY.
gov. en/ assets/ upload/ files/ Keciboy... Çetinay, Ş., Güler, S., Coşgun, S., Şahin, M., Güngöroğlu, C., "Natural and Grafted Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Comparison of Trees in Terms of Fruit and Seed Characteristics (Köprülü Canyon National Park Example)", Journal of Süleyman Demirel University Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences, 17(1), 64–69, 2014. dergipark.
org. en/ en/ pub/ sdufenbed/ article/ 222049 Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (applicant: Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry), "Alanya Carob / Alanya Carob" geographical indication registration certificate, Registration No: 1705, 2025. ci.
turkpatent. gov. en/ Files/ GeographicalSigns/ 7bbe4a8b- 399… Gazete Vatan / AA (2024), "It will be sold for 10 liras per kilo in Adana! It has many benefits, from sexuality to heart health" (Kozan carob harvest news), July 24, 2024. newspapervatan.
com/ gallery/ adada- weight- 10- lira- to be sold... Gazete Vatan / AA (2025a), "The first harvest was made in Mersin! The benefits do not end with counting! Orders are pouring in from Turkey and abroad", 11 November 2025. newspapervatan.
com/ gallery/ in mersin- first- harvest- done- with benefit... Gazete Vatan / AA (2025b), "Farmer from Adana greened the barren land with his own means! He harvested 7 tons from 400 trees!", November 15, 2025. newspapervatan.
com/ gallery/ Adanali- farmer- barren- land- own... Politika Newspaper, "Another benefit of carob has emerged!" (Antalya carob workshop news), 7 August 2023. my policy.
com/ carob- one- BENEFIT- more- revealed- output Foreign sources
Correia, P. J., Pestana, M., "Sugars and phenols in carob tree fruits from different producing countries: A short review", Heliyon, 10, e30922, 2024. doi.
org/ 10. 1016/ j. helion. 2024. E30922 Feedipedia – Animal Feed Resources Information System, "Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)" datasheet (harvest information based on Batlle and Tous, 1997). feedipedia.
org/ node/ 320 Makhzoumi, J. M., "The changing role of rural landscapes: olive and carob multi-use tree plantations in the semiarid Mediterranean", Landscape and Urban Planning, 37(1–2), 115–122, 1997. doi.
Scientific Resourcesorg/ 10. 1016/ S0169- 2046(96)00376- 3
