Cherry harvest in full swing around Flathead Lake

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

Flathead Cherry Growers are breathing a sigh of relief this week as cherry harvests are looking strong, a welcome sign after a hard rain last week threatened to damage the nearly ripe fruit.

"After having a gully washer down here we feel a little more comfortable now," said Ken Edgington, who operates Bear Dance Orchards in Yellow Bay.

When the fruits are close to ripe and plump, cherries risk bursting when there's lots of precipitation as the fruits try to take in water through their skins.

Edgington, for one, had a helicopter fly low over his orchard after the storm last week in an attempt to blow the water off the trees and onto the ground.

"The 'copter is a pretty good insurance policy," he said.

But even those growers without the benefit of large-scale drying devices have found that the crop is shaping up very well regardless of the rain.

"On average growers are getting 80-90 percent pack-outs," Edgington said, which means that 80-90 percent of cherries are suitable for packaging and consumption.

Cherry growers are currently harvesting Lambert cherries, with harvest for the later-blooming Lapin cherry slated to begin mid-week for most growers, though some have already started.

Edgington said that all in all, the cherries are coming in at a nice size and that the taste in the Lambert cherries is "exceptional" this season.

Of course the late harvest hasn't been without a few casualties. The Polson Cherry Festival, which took place July 19, had to celebrate without and local cherries, as the harvest didn't start until the following week.

The fame of Flathead Cherries is about to loom a bit larger, however, as Wal-Mart will host a Montana brand cherry day on August 6 at the Wal-Mart store in Helena. Edgington said it's part of a continuing effort by the Flathead Cherry Growers' Association to brand the Montana fruit.

The harvest should continue for another week or so, unless temperatures drop, in which case things could slow a bit. Despite the crop being lighter than last summer's record haul, Edgington said there's still plenty to enjoy at harvest time.

"It's great for the tourists and locals who can go down and get the cherries pretty much right out of the field," he said.