A method and apparatus to eliminating residue from a flow of harvested produce such as fruit is disclosed. The harvest flow is delivered to an inclined surface (4) that is arranged to allow the flow of harvest (G) to travel over it. The surface includes air passages. Blowing air through the passages ejects residue from the flow of harvest as it is routed over the surface creating two streams, produce and residue, assisted by a deflector plate (15). The invention also concerns a residue elimination system for implementing such a method, a cleaning assembly comprising such an elimination system, and a fruit harvesting machine including such a cleaning assembly or such an elimination system. De-stemming fruit is also disclosed. The inclined surface may be a perforated or woven grill.
