Scenes from Washington's Sweet Cherry Harvest
The big, juicy sweet cherries that grow in the Pacific Northwest ripen quickly and require many hands to harvest and process optimally. That's why cherry harvest season in Washington is always a controlled frenzy at Chukar HQ, where we work with many of the local cherry farmers to wash, sort, and process their fruit.
Cherry harvest is in full swing during the month of June. In the photo below, you can see freshly picked Bing cherries coming into our production facility. Look at that color! We wish you could sample one as the cherries taste as good as they look.
An important part of processing cherries is drying them thoroughly, before they even begin our dehydrating process that transforms them into chocolate cherries and dried cherries.
In the orchards during June, we are also witnessing Washington's signature cherry, the Rainier cherry, coming to full ripeness. It's a beautiful sight to see.
After the cherries are picked, the cherry trees are maintained, pruned, and checked for pests throughout the summer. Cherry trees need full sun and space to flourish, and luckily Washington State also provides ideal soil.
One last image and thought to leave you with: a cherry orchard dog is a happy dog.
