Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Northwest cherry harvest will begin next week, a little later than usual.

Andrew Willis from the Northwest Cherry Growers says the cool spring has finally given way to summer-like weather.

He says that’s allowing the already-formed fruit to ripen.

Andrew Willis: “We’re probably looking at one of the larger crops that we’ve seen out of the Northwest. The timing for this year, the fruit, is a little bit behind normal. We generally tend to have peak shipments go out on June 25th. It might be a bit behind that this year.”

Willis estimates this summer’s cherry crop will reach between 16 million and 18 million boxes. That would be much larger than last year’s harvest, when a cold spring zapped the region’s orchards.

He says it’s too early to tell if the Northwest’s other summer fruits -- apricots, peaches and nectarines -- will also ripen late.