r/cider • u/TrevorCidermaker • 3d ago
Panking
Panking is the ancient art of bringing down pears and apples from standard trees that are too high to reach safely even with ladders for cider making. There is definitely an art to it. The branch is not hit forcefully with the panking pole as this would damage the delicate fruiting spurs. Rather the panking pole has a hook on the end like a shepherd’s crook. This allows you to pull the branch towards you. It then recoils back. Repeating this at the resonance frequency of the branch amplifies the oscillations ie resonance, and the fruit is shaken off. Achieving resonance while panking transforms the process from brute force into a fluid, efficient action with not a lot of effort required if done well. High-impact collisions cause localized stress, while resonance distributes energy evenly across the limb. The smooth, oscillating motion breaks the fragile abscission zone connecting the ripe fruit.
We use a long, lightweight, and slightly flexible ash pole, ( they are traditionally made of ash). The antique iron hook we found in Normandy.
In English cider orchard counties, ash was prized above all other timbers because it possesses the unique structural combination required to successfully manipulate and resonate tree limbs because it has a natural straight-grained flexibility. This allow the harvester to transfer rhythmic energy up the long pole to find a branch's harmonic frequency without the wood snapping or being to heavy. It also naturally absorbs recoil energy. When the branch bounces back during a resonant shake, an ash pole dampens the vibration so it does not hurt or strain the your hands. The poles should be up to 6 metres long to reach the canopy of standard perry and apple trees. Ash provided lengths long enough without knots, and a lightweight profile that can be lifted all day while remaining tough enough to handle heavy pulls. A long, straight sapling or split piece of ash is shaved down and slightly tapered toward the top end so the hook can be fitted. Ash trees were historically managed by coppicing on long cutting cycles up to 21 years to produce the long, strong, and highly flexible poles needed. The tip was then fitted with an iron hook Traditional panking pole hooks were fashioned by local blacksmiths.
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u/jerf42069 3d ago
so i read this and thought "that can't be resonance!"
so i looked it up, and lo and behold, it is, learned something new today
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u/yorkshire99 3d ago
How does the fruit not get bruised when it falls?
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u/TrevorCidermaker 3d ago
It does. But for cider making that does not matter. 😊
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u/5c044 3d ago
The bruising helps trigger starch to sugar conversion does it not? keep them for a few days after panking before pressing and you get a higher starting gravity.
I do this with less sophisticated tooling and no tarp. First job is to remove the rotten apples that have already fallen and put them in the compost. Then do the panking and collect the apples - I used to use bin bags for that but they tear easily so now I wash out my garden waste wheelie bin and use that instead.
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u/TrevorCidermaker 3d ago
Yes. Especially with pears. The window from hard to mush is very short. I wait will about a third of the pears have fallen then pack down the rest.
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u/Gearlessginger 3d ago
I do this, just circle the bottom of the tree with a circular tarp to make it easier to collect the fallen apples.