Cherries on Rocko Fouch's farm
Cherries on Rocko Fouch's Farm | Jane Boursaw Photo
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It’s that time of the year when once again people are wondering when cherries will be ripe. We know they’re late this year, that’s for sure.

I talked with my niece, Heatherlyn Johnson Reamer, who helps my brothers Dean and Ward run Johnson Farms. Heather said they’re planning on starting cherry harvest on Monday, July 15, 2019. (UPDATE: Cherry harvest will begin on Thursday, July 18, but you can find plenty of ripe cherries for sale on OMP farm stands right now.)

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First up will be light sweet cherries, with dark sweets and tarts to follow. So there you have it!

I can’t remember a time when northern Michigan cherries were ripe in time for the National Cherry Festival, which is why you mostly see cherries from Washington State or elsewhere at the festival.

If they held the fest a week or two later, we might hit that magic sweet spot of cherries being ripe at the same time as the festival. Just think about it, that’s all we ask. 🙂

Also Read…

Here’s How a Cherry Shaker Works – VIDEO

SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.

Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette

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