To everything, there is a season. As we settle into late autumn, five of our most dedicated workers at Perry Wellness Center are taking a break. They are our mechanical pea shellers, which completed an estimated 500 bushels of shelled beans and peas from spring to early fall.

These hand-fed barrel shellers were dependable and uncomplaining workers, but are taking advantage of their down time for a little refurbishing. Each sheller will receive a total check-up, be lubricated, and go through a belt replacement and fastener tightening. After a winter’s rest, they will be ready to return to work in Spring 2018.

PWC founder and CEO Stuart Perry and market manager Charles Tanner weighed in on the past season. “It was a great year for peas and butter beans at Rudy’s Happy Patch Market,” Stuart reported. “We bought beans and peas from an estimated five local farmers and ones in Buena Vista, Cordele, and Moultrie.”

“It was a booming market,” Charles agreed, “And we bought vegetables to keep up with the demand.” He added with a smile, “It was fun to see all of the mechanical and personal shelling going on.”

Now the machines and the human hands that toiled over so many beans and peas will have their much earned season of rest.

In the photo above, Travis Milner stores a barrel pea sheller and several once-filled bushel bags.