The season is nearly upon us and this year’s crop should be
delicious. Here’s a look at cherries and recipes in which to use
them
We’ve waited patiently all year, but it’s finally coming. In just a few weeks time, cherry season officially starts and South Valley residents can stuff themselves silly with those delightfully tasty red fruits. Cherry season locally lasts from mid- to late-May until late June, though fruits brought in from other parts of the state can make it last from early May well into the summer.
Barring unexpected catastrophe, the local cherry crop should be a good one this year, said Andy Mariani, owner of Andy’s Orchard in Morgan Hill. A cherry crop can be ruined by a rogue rainstorm if it hits while the fruit is ripening because it cracks the cherries, Mariani explained.
Last year’s cherry crop suffered from all the rain our region received, said Bob McCarty, owner of McCarty Orchards in Gilroy.
“Last year, I didn’t have a pound’s worth of cherries on the place,” he said. “Cherry trees are very sensitive. They’re susceptible to all kinds of diseases, and that can get complicated for us because we’re organic, so we can’t use any chemicals on the trees. Cherry trees also need lots of bees. They won’t give you any fruit unless their pollinated by bees.”
Cherries also need a cold winter and mild to moderate temperatures while they’re blooming in order to produce the best fruit, said Peter Van Dyke, co-owner of Van Dyke Ranch.
South Valley cherries are typically the Royal Ann species, which are good for canning, or Bing cherries, which are often the kind you see sold fresh in stores and at fruit stands.
Buyers purchasing cherries from fruit stands should beware, though. Some may claim to be local farmers with locally grown fruits, but that’s not always the case.
“If they’re selling fruit at a folding table with an umbrella right by the road, I’d probably question them,” Mariani said. “Legitimate sellers have permits and they’re typically set up right next to their orchards. You should be able to ask whoever is selling the fruit where it was grown or where they’re from and they should give you a straight answer.”
Many stands in Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill are familiar to locals because they open every year at the top of the season, and these familiar spots are likely the best place to buy cherries, Mariani added.
