The Mishnah in the third portion of Masechet Bikurim describes the process of how the farmer brought his first fruits, the bikurim, to the Bet Hamikdash (The Temple). The Mishnah illustrates an incredible spectacle, marvelous to behold. The farmers would gather together at the outskirts of Jerusalem to start a festive procession accompanied by musical instruments and tremendous fanfare. The workers of Jerusalem would greet the farmers as  they passed by.  At the end of the third Mishna we read: “All of the craftsmen in Jerusalem stand up (in honor) of them, greeting them: ‘Our brethren from such and such a place – come in peace.’”

Finally, the procession would reach Har Habayit (The Temple Mount) where the farmers would offer their first fruits in a magnificent ceremony. What did the farmers actually bring to merit this great ritual? The mitzvah of bikurim is one of the mitzvot listed by the Mishnah that has no proscribed amount (shiur):

“A man goes down into his field, he sees a fig that ripened, or a cluster of grapes that ripened, or a pomegranate that ripened, he ties a reed-rope around it and says: let these be bikkurim”