Each late May we begin to look for the first crop of ripe cherries coming from California. Usually these are somewhat unripe, lacking in intense flavor and on the small size. Nonetheless, with memories of the final cherries devoured in the previous early fall, we buy them and eat them. We usually comment “ these aren’t as good as I remembered.”
As the summer unfolds, the cherries get bigger, redder and tastier. A quick look at the plastic bag reveals they are from Hood River, Oregon or Yakima, Washington, many miles north of the previous orchards. Cherries thrive on cooler winters, and these parts of the Pacific. Northwest are ideal. We eat as many as we can, knowing these too will be off the shelves soon. When finally we dig into a bag from eastern British Columbia, we know the season is near its end. Here are the dark red, huge, tasty cherries we remember. We will search them out again next summer and try not to jump the gun with California wannabes.
The entire experience of watching the crops move north always reminds me of the migrant families who moved from Southern California through Oregon onto Washington each year following the crops. Woody Guthrie pays them tribute in a song I have been humming, Pastures of Plenty.
Saved By Words 
At the moment, there are only imported cherries here, and they are prohibitively expensive. Later in the year, will will get twice as many British-grown cherries for the same price. I only like the very dark plump ones, so my cherry-eating season lasts little more than two weeks.
Best wishes, Pete.
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You and me both, Pete!
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Short your eating season may be but it is longer than ours . It’s amazing how the taste varies as the season progresses.
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Where do your come from? Are they ever local?
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From the UK, near to Nottingham. The season is very short – from mid-June to mid-September, with late-season cherries coming from Scotland. Production in 2000 was only 559 tonnes, and supermarkets stock cheaper fruit from Spain, Turkey and the US!
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Scotch cherries sound good. I figured with that Cherry Tree Carol they must be somewhere around.
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I love cherries and look forward to them every year, always waiting for the ones from Yakima. I love the dark red-purple Bings but also love the yellow Rainiers. Surprisingly my husband doesn’t like cherries so I have to eat them all!
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We make ourselves wait for local strawberries. I haven’t noticed cherries in our supermarket yet. John loves them, so we’ll have them, whether they are the best ones or not.
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I love strawberries too. The ones that ripen naturally, not the ones picked green.
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Nor the ones grown to travel long distances!
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I wonder if they grow anywhere on the East Coast.
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I am not aware of cherry trees growing along the East Coast. I think Michigan has them.
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I sure took them for granted growing up in Oregon.
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It’s easy to take something local for granted.
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I especially took the low prices for enough fruit to can and make into jam. Here it is out of reach.
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What a great analogy comparing the different cherries to migrant workers.
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Thanks Pete. I think growing up in a farming state I was always very aware of the migrants.
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I love dark cherries!
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Do they grow near you?
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No!
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😟
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Our neighbour has a cherry tree and we benefit from it every year.
The cherries all seem to ripen at the same time, but we have to pick them all together anyway, because if we leave them for even a day, the birds have pinched the lot!
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Our birds watch ours carefully and get them the instant they ripen.
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The best canned cherries packed in water are from Oregon. Makes me think of those who follow the crop.
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I used to can those cherries at home in Oregon. I used to put by everything in those back to the woods days of my 20’s!
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How wonderful!
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Love Woody Guthrie.
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Me too.
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We LOVE cherries!! We are getting some fruit trees next year and I want cherry trees but my husband doesn’t want the mess in our yard 🤣
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Too funny.
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Thanks for the music link. I haven’t heard the tune in years. My mom was a fan.
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You are welcome.
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