Juicy, abundant crop lets visitors cherry-pick
Chris McManus, raised in Michigan and new to Eastern Washington, had never tasted a Rainer cherry.
His wife, Kendra McManus, a Texan through and through, was equally unfamiliar with the type of cherry identified with this region.
But after one trip to the orchards during the Green Bluff Cherry Festival on Saturday afternoon, the couple is hooked
“I ate so many, I’m going to look like a cherry at the end of the day,” said Kendra, carrying a flat of Rainers her family picked at Harvest House & Orchard. “They’re wonderful.”
Wonderful, and plentiful – at least until the thousands of fruit lovers pick through the trees during the annual cherry festival. Green Bluff Growers also organize a peach festival and apple festival later this summer and fall.
“This is the kickoff. Cherries are the big hurrah for the start of going to Green Bluff,” said Todd Beck, whose family has owned the 29-acre Harvest House since 1983. “And nothing beats picking pieces of ripe fruit off trees. It tastes better than (fruit at) grocery stores.”
Those visiting any of the 29 orchards can either pick their own fruit or buy it picked. Signs naming the types of cherries and other fruit, along with the prices, are posted throughout Green Bluff.
“I don’t anticipate being picked (out) for a few weeks,” said Mark Morrell, owner of the 46-acre Walters’ Fruit Ranch. “We had a bumper crop this year.”
Karene Simchuk, owner of Hidden Acres, also said her 37-acre orchard has produced enough cherries to take her through the festival. The Rainer and Van cherries at Hidden Acres are ready, but the Bings are about a week away.
“A good cherry year is all in the weather,” said Simchuk, whose family has owned Hidden Acres since 1971. “You have to have a good spring and enough warm weather that the bees can fly to pollinate the fruit. You do not want frost. After that, you want good weather, with rain and sunshine.”
Eastern Washington weather came up with the right formula this spring. However, an exceptionally cold January, with temperatures dropping to 25 below zero, did leave its mark on some crops.
“That hurts the trees,” Beck said. “So what we have are beautiful cherries, but not a bumper crop.
“It’s not a bad thing to lose some fruit. It’s nature’s way of thinning the fruit to give you better fruit.”
The festival runs this weekend and next Saturday and Sunday. The annual Cherry Pickers’ Trot (a four-mile run) and pit spit will be held Thursday. On average, Beck said, about 3,000 people attend the festivities, which begin with the 5:30 p.m. pit spit. Mike Stephens holds the men’s record of 43-feet, 2-inches and Leslie Strake holds the women’s mark of 32-9.