08.06.2026 10:51
With the opening of the harvest season in Bursa, Turkey's second largest artichoke production center, the very few "artichoke peelers" went down to the fields. Performing nearly 40 wrist movements to clean a single artichoke and peeling an average of a thousand artichokes per day, these masters earn at least 240,000 liras per month during the 3-month season with the fee they receive per piece.
The harvest season has opened in Bursa, Turkey's second largest artichoke production center. The "artichoke peelers," whose numbers are so few they can be counted on one hand and who prepare the artichokes gathered from the fields for the table, are practically making a fortune during the 3-month season. A master who cleans a thousand artichokes a day earns up to 240 thousand liras per month.
THOUSAND A DAY, 240 THOUSAND LIRA MONTHLY INCOME
Ibrahim Nizamsever, 30, who has been doing this job for about 10 years in Hasanağa Neighborhood of Nilüfer district, Bursa, explained both the intricacies and the high returns of artichoke peeling. Stating that he is normally a greengrocer but focuses entirely on this work when the season starts, Nizamsever expressed his earnings in these words: "Our season has started and lasts about 3 months. The price per piece for peeling artichokes ranges from 8 lira to 15 lira, depending on the continuity of the work. We peel for our regular producers at 7-8 lira. I peel an average of a thousand artichokes a day. That means 8 thousand lira daily, and at least 240 thousand lira monthly."
40 WRIST MOVEMENTS PER ARTICHOKE
Emphasizing that despite the high earnings, the job is much more challenging than it seems and requires serious craftsmanship, Nizamsever noted the physical difficulty of the profession: "It's a very good source of income for those who know the job, but it requires a lot of effort. Just for the peeling and cleaning of a single artichoke, the hand and wrist perform nearly 40 rotational movements. Serious wrist strength and speed are required. Our work in Hasanağa ends after a month, then we move to other regions where artichoke harvest continues."
BURSA SHARES THE PEAK IN TURKEY'S PRODUCTION
Led by Nilüfer and Mustafakemalpaşa districts, artichoke production in Bursa overall propels the city to the top in Turkey. According to recently announced TÜİK data, about 9,778 tons of artichokes were grown on approximately 7,531 decares of land in Bursa. With this massive production volume, Bursa ranks second in Turkey after Izmir.
Just in Hasanağa Neighborhood, where production is intensive, 400 thousand artichokes are harvested from about 200 decares of land, processed by these few masters, and delivered to tables across Turkey.