The cherry trees in the area are ripening with promise as the season comes into full swing.
Cherry pickers at Rai Produce in Osoyoos started working through the trees on the weekend of June 5.
With over 150 boxes of cherries picked already, the year’s crop is off to a great start.
The Osoyoos Fruit Basket is already carrying the Chelan and Early Robin varieties from Rai Produce.
Cherries ripen and are ready to be picked at Rai Produce farm in Osoyoos. Neha Chollangi photo
With the normal picking date being June 10 to 12, the crop is just a few days early this year.
Amanpreet Rai from Rai Produce said compared to the last few years, “the crop is actually pretty good for most people.”
He also said that perhaps the lack of snow this past winter is a contributing factor.
With labour shortages last year and unexpected weather issues the last two years, the previous year’s crop produced much less fruit than expected.
Although the rain is most welcome in the dry Okanagan, for cherry farmers, the wet weather can be detrimental for the crop.
When there’s too much rain, cherries absorb the water and expand quickly, causing cracks.
This year things look more hopeful for cherry growers.
Rai explained that the cold is what builds colour in cherries while the heat is what helps the fruit develop more sugar.
He said that the cold weather over the first weekend in June most likely made the cherries brighten in colour.
Because of this, the cherries that are ready mid-summer are often the sweetest variety. This includes Lapins and Van cherries.
Right now, the Chelan and Rainier cherries are being picked and being sent off to local fruit baskets and for shipments around the province.
