The bilberries pickers

On Jiu Valley amidst the mountains in Romania, the time from June to October is the season of berries and forest fruit in general. There are hundreds of families, without having a stable job, who earn a living from what the selling of the fruit they pick each day. People like Gyurka family go through the woods for many kilometers in order to find and to gather a few kilos of bilberries. Elisabeta and Iosif Gyurka have been together for about 10 years, and they have been doing together this season work. At home, they have their three children, Madalina, Andrei and Sebi the youngest. Istvan, Iosif’s brother-in-law, also comes with them to pick bilberries. They look for the for the ripe bilberries and, when they get home, they wash and select the good fruit from the raw fruit ones and dirt. Every night, when they finish selecting and washing the fruit, they take the bilberries to the collecting place. There are vans in the district they live which collect the bilberries for different price every day. The money they get varies, depending on how large or small amounts are brought to them every night. One kilo of bilberries can be sold with 2 euro. The fruits are further exported to Germany, Austria and other countries for the making of confectionary products such as jam.