Washington cherry crop among biggest, earliest ever
Jul 1, 2014, 1:26 PM | Updated: Jul 2, 2014, 7:45 am
Washington cherry growers report one of the biggest, earliest season's ever. (Scott Pitts photo)
(Scott Pitts photo)
Cherries will be on the menu at plenty of 4th of July celebrations thanks to what’s shaping up to be a near-record harvest for Washington’s cherry growers.
A warm spring and early summer has allowed growers in Eastern Washington and across the Northwest to start picking much earlier than usual, says James Michael, Vice President of Marketing for the Northwest Cherry Growers.
“The climate couldn’t have been better this year,” Michael says. “We’ve been actually ahead almost two weeks from the past two years and we are looking to ship more cherries out to the stores for this 4th of July than perhaps ever.”
It’s thought that after only 16 months in office, President Zachary Taylor died after a brief illness experienced after eating cherries, according to The History Channel. While historians dispute the cause of his death on July 9, 1850, sources say Taylor gulped down cherries and iced milk while attending events to dedicate the Washington Monument grounds.
Along with gastroenteritis, food poisoning, and even foul play are thought to be causes of death.
Doctors concluded Taylor succumbed to cholera morbus after days of cramping and other unfortunate symptoms.
Having so many cherries in stores right now is a huge shot in the arm for growers because the 4th of July is considered the biggest sales holiday of the year for produce, Michael says.
“It’s a really short season, so if we give customers a chance to get out and try them and realize ‘hey these are really good,’ they go back and buy more for a couple more weeks before they’re gone again,” he says.
The bounty is a challenge for grocers, who are scrambling to find shelf space for the fruit and keep them fresh amidst all their other produce.
“It’s really a challenge for them to keep the cherries cold and well stocked. Cherries lose more quality in an hour at room temperature than they do all day in the refrigerator, so grocers have to keep them in the cold section,” Michael says.
The early start to the cherry season means an earlier end to the season as well. While growers can harvest into early September in some years, Michael predicts much of this year’s crop will be gone in August.
Growers shipped a record 9.8 million, 20-pound boxes of sweet cherries in June, despite several rains.
The previous record was 7 million in 2005, but June has averaged 3.8 million the past six years as cool weather delayed crops and rains, Michael says.
Washington growers make up about 80 percent of the total crop across the Northwest.
