17.10.2026 22:22
In the Demirci district of Manisa, hackberries that grow wild in the mountains have become one of the important sources of income for women living in rural neighborhoods. In about 40 neighborhoods, the hackberries collected by women through traditional collective labor are washed, dried, and then offered for sale. Approximately 450 tons of the product collected annually in the district is sent to pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies in Istanbul, Ankara, Gaziantep, and Bursa. Zeynep Sönmez, 78, has also been supporting her livelihood by collecting hackberries since her childhood.
In the Demirci district of Manisa, hackberry that grows spontaneously in the mountains has become one of the important sources of income for women living in rural neighborhoods. Approximately 450 tons of hackberry are collected each year, and after washing and drying processes, it is sent to pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies in Istanbul, Ankara, Gaziantep, and Bursa.
THEY COLLECT FROM THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH COLLECTIVE WORK AND WASH THEM IN CAULDRONS
Hackberry growing in the plateaus and rural areas surrounding Demirci provides additional income to local people. Along with marshmallow flower, thyme, and chamomile, hackberry, which is among the region's important natural products, begins to turn green with September and is collected by women through collective work.
In addition to the Demirci district center, hackberry harvest is carried out in approximately 40 neighborhoods, especially Rahmanlar, Kulalar, Sevinçler, Esenyurt, Mezitler, Boyacık, and Kerpiçlik. Women who go up to the mountains with their buckets in the early morning hours carry the hackberries they collect on steep slopes home in sacks.
The hackberries, washed in water-filled cauldrons to separate them from their leaves and red grains, are then spread in the sun and dried. Some of the processed product is roasted and consumed as a snack, while another part is sold for oil extraction and industrial use.
78-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHER ZEYNEP HAS BEEN COLLECTING FOR YEARS
Zeynep Sönmez, a 78-year-old farmer who said she has been collecting hackberries in the mountains since her childhood, said that in the past they extracted oil from the products they collected with her family and used it for their own needs.
Sönmez said, "Since my childhood, we used to go to the mountains with my mother and my sister-in-law. We would gather and bring them back. We would wash and dry off their debris, grind them, and extract their oil. They start to mature before October. We collect the green ones and bring them home. We fill the cauldron with water and take off the ones that float to the top. We strain the golden greens and put them in sacks, spread them out, dry them, and sell them. In the past, we extracted their oil and ate it ourselves; now, since everything is abundant, we do not eat it ourselves but sell it."
IT IS BOTH CONSUMED AS A SNACK AND SOLD
Havana Sönmez from Rahmanlar Neighborhood also stated that collecting hackberry is an important source of income for women. Sönmez, explaining that with autumn the women come together and collect hackberry from the mountains, stated that the product is sold after being dried or its oil is extracted.
Sönmez, noting that hackberry is consumed in different ways in the region, said, "When autumn comes, we women gather and go collect them. Some have them strained, dried, and made into oil; some sell them. Our women support their families. We dry them and eat them as a snack, and we extract their oil and add it to meals by frying bread. If eaten without burning, it is consumed as a remedy. It is said to be good for asthma, beneficial for stomach ailments, and to relieve indigestion."