Flathead growers expect plump cherry crop

With the apex of cherry season just weeks away, cherry growers along Flathead Lake are taking stock of the fruit on their trees and picking the varieties that ripen early.

“So far this year the weather has been cooperating,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association. “We’ve been pretty dry for two weeks now, and this is the time period where we don’t want any rainstorms.”

On average, the size of the cherries appear to be larger than last year’s crop, but each tree has fewer cherries, Johnson said. That’s a good thing, he said. Last year some trees produced fruit so small the growers didn’t even bother picking it, Johnson said.

“From our standpoint, you don’t make as much for smaller cherries,” Johnson said.

The Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Cooperative has around 75 members, which comprises about 85 percent of commercial growers around Flathead Lake.

In 2016, the co-op processed about 2 million pounds of fruit. Last year, that dipped to 1.75 million pounds. This year’s robust cherry size bodes well for getting that number back up, Johnson said.

A few cherry stands have already opened along the lake. Johnson said some of them are selling Washington cherries, while others sell varieties that ripen early.

Just because a cherry is red doesn’t mean its ripe, Johnson said. To determine that, a grower will taste cherries in their field or conduct what is called a brix test, which measures the level of sugars in the fruit.

A cherry that is ripe will have more developed sugars, and that will lead to a sweeter product, Johnson said.

The top of the tree that gets the most sun usually ripens first, while fruit on the bottom of the tree is a little behind. Because it is more economical for growers to pick the whole tree at the same time, they usually try to pick it when the greatest number of cherries are closest to peak ripeness.

Some of the cherries at the bottom might still be a little firm and tart while some at the top will be particularly soft, but it helps growers keep costs down while still providing a great product, Johnson said.

Johnson projected that most varieties of cherries will be ready to harvest within the next five to seven days, but peak season will likely come around the end of July.

Because most of the cherries aren’t quite ready, the migratory workers that pick the crop had not yet arrived in the valley, Johnson said. Most of the workers come from the Tri-Cities area or Yakima area in Washington where they are picking the much larger Pacific Northwest cherry crop, he said.

He also said that so far this year the national market for cherries looked good, making them confident that all the cherries they picked and process would find a buyer.

To celebrate the coming harvest, the annual Polson Main Street Flathead Cherry Festival is this weekend July 21-22. It will feature a cherry pie eating contest and a cherry pit spitting contest, along with food and craft vendors.

More information on the festival can be found at www.flatheadcherryfestival.com.

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (4060 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.