Cherry Harvest Begins Pt 1

Cherry Harvest Begins Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Well, they may be a little later than usual, thanks to the cooler and wetter weather this year, but cherry harvest here in the Pacific Northwest has begun.

Northwest Cherry Growers President, BJ Thurlby says the weather has not been ideal, but …

THURLBY … “I’d rather have warm, mild conditions with a little bit of clouds than 120 degrees. After last year, I have a whole different respect for Mother Nature’s ability to heat things up.”

Some early varieties like the Rainier, Thurlby says aren’t quite as early as usual …

THURLBY … “The cool spring continues to push the Rainier crop back and I was with an early grower this morning and he said he will not pick his Rainiers until probably around the 26th of June. So, yeah, that’s a little bit later than normal. And he said last year he picked on the 14th of June so he would have already been done.”

So, the numbers may down a bit, Thurlby says, but the quality is looking good …

THURLBY … “Yes, in fact, we were in an orchard this morning, right on the Columbia River, and we were able to watch some early harvest and look at some cherries in bins, and the fruit is dark, big and firm.”

And the taste, Thurlby says …

THURBLY … “We tried three different varieties. Two of the varieties had lots of really good sugars. Overall, the fruit looks great and is eating very well.”

Tune in tomorrow for more on the start of harvest season for Northwest Cherries.

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