Flathead Lake cherry harvest expected to be average

With harvesting to begin in about a week, this year’s Flathead Lake cherry crop is forecast to be on par with last year’s harvest of about 1.5 million pounds.

Local cherry growers got a bit of a scare in April when temperatures dropped below freezing, just as the cherry buds were expanding. The cold temperatures, however, didn’t harm the trees, according to Ken Edgington of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association.

Marketing of this year’s crop depends in large part on Washington’s crop, which Edgington says is also average.

“Washington has a good crop, not a glut crop, but a good crop,” he said.

Some local trees are overset with blossoms, but cherry trees have a way of controlling how much fruit they produce, he said, and the “June drop” usually takes care of that.

“All in all, we came through that one scare, and everybody has gotten back to a little more normal,” he said. “I don’t hear anybody complaining right now.”

Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association members produce 1.5 million to 2 million pounds of cherries each year. The cherries are sold to Munson Foods in Yakima, Wash., and distributed from their warehouses.

Cherries picked along Flathead Lake are initially processed at the association’s warehouse on Finley Point. After getting a quick bath in 40-degree water to reduce their temperature, the cherries are held in 300-pound bins in a cooler until Munson picks them up.

Munson ships the cherries to Yakima, where they are sorted by size and color. The cherries make it back to the Flathead Valley about three to four days after they’re picked, Edgington said. As usual, the demand from the market is on larger cherries.

“Small cherries just don’t fare as well in the market,” Edgington said. “The consumer buys with their eyes.”

Harvesting will begin in mid-July at the south end of Flathead Lake and then move north. Yellow Bay cherries typically are harvested during the first 10 days of August, depending on the cherry variety.

The value of the Flathead Lake cherry crop is $4 million to $5 million annually, Edgington said. Member growers can reserve 20 percent of their crop for local marketing and sales, including “you pick” sales. To find out where the public can pick their own cherries, visit online at www.montanacherries.com.