Posted on 06/15/2009 12:39:13 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LEONA VALLEY - It's time to get pickin'. The cherry season in Leona Valley is in full swing this weekend with nearly 20 U-pick ranches opening their orchards.
The cherry season is expected to extend through the end of June or until orchards are picked clean. Most orchards will open at 8 a.m. today.
"I believe nearly all of us has a decent crop," said Chuck Fluharty. "Hardly anyone got froze out this year. I know we're better off than we were last year.
Windy Ridge features three varieties of cherries - Bing, Rainier and Black Tartarians. Other varieties grown in Leona Valley include: Vans, Brooks, Early Burlat, Utah Giant and Tieton.
"It's going to get pretty busy up here. The phone calls about when we we're going to open started more than two weeks ago," Fluharty said. "Since the end of May we've gotten at least eight or ten phone calls a day or more.
"We expect a large turnout this weekend and next. Those will be the prime picking weekends. Being a smaller orchard, about 300 trees, we could be picked out after next weekend."
Leona Valley Organics, owned by Olga and Robert Lambert, opened last weekend, as did Villa Del Sol Sweet Cherry Farms. Olga Lambert said their fruit was ready a bit earlier than many of the cherry ranches.
"We had a good opening weekend, but we expect more people coming through Leona Valley because all the ranches will be open," she said. "I don't how many of those people we'll get, but we've received many phone calls about our organic cherries."
Leona Valley Organics and Copeland's Cherry Ranch are certified organic cherry ranches. All other Leona Valley cherry ranches are pesticide-free, but certified organic farms are subject to much more regulation than the other ranches.
(Excerpt) Read more at avpress.com ...
Picking the cherries is fun and the cherries are delicious.
See you there!
“Careful” def.: `Anyone eating a pie made with their own cherries’
Picked some tart, ripe cherries from my tree Saturday, pitted them and made an easy pie with Jello cheesecake pudding.
Delicious, and no broken teeth. One more harvest and the birds and neighbors get the rest.
Back in the day, we used to go up to Beaumont to pick cherries. Thanks for posting this!
I GREW UP in the San Fernando Valley and never heard of Leona Valley!
Bumper crop of cherries here in my backyard in southern New Hampshire. Now if it would only stop raining...
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