Officials say this year’s harvest of cherries from Flathead Lake orchards has been “fast and furious.”
Monson Fruit Co.’s Brian Campbell says the lambert and lapin cherries ripened at the same time this year and the harvest season has already hit its peak.
Campbell says the harvest from Flathead Lake orchards could be done early next week.
He says more than 750,000 pounds of cherries have been picked from Flathead Lake Cherry Growers cooperative orchard trees. When the harvest is finished, he predicts that about 1.5 million pounds of cherries will have been picked.
He says that’s down from an annual harvest of 2 million pounds because of an April freeze and some acreage being replanted with different varieties.