If you're gearing up for a summer of all things cherry, you may need to rethink your plans: cherry production is actually down 70% this season, according to the Department of Agriculture, due to the mild winter and cherry blossoms dropping too quickly.
The reason for the cherry shortage is due mostly to the few days of sub-zero temperatures in March that followed the mild winter, which caused many cherry trees in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to drop their cherry blossoms before the fruit had set. This means cherry production this year will go from about 275 million pounds to around 70 million pounds. According to The New York Times, both Michigan and New York cherry producers have had devastating losses, with Michigan reporting that less than 3 percent of their cherry crop survived blossoming.
This makes us so sad - we love summer cherries! If you can't get ahold of any in your area, what other summer fruit will you fold into your recipe rotation?
Read More: Cherry Production at National Agriculture Statistics Service and Fewer Cherries for That Pie at The New York Times
Related: Sour Cherries: 10 Delightful Summer Dessert Recipes
(Image: Emily Ho)
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It's so sad. My husband works for a food co-op in Michigan and he says that all of their cherry suppliers lost 100% of the crop this year. Michigan cherry season is my favorite, and I can't imagine the hardship the farmers are going through right now.
The California cherry crop is terrific this year but is 98% sweet cherries. I won't feel the impact until I try and restock my favorite spoon fruit sour cherry jam.
Weird. I haven't seen a difference in pricing...
The Utah cherry season is healthy - sweet and sour cherries. And prices similar or better than in previous years.
I feel terrible for the cherry growers!
I've noticed here, in Ontario, the cherries we are getting are not very juicy. Haven't seen local ones yet, and I suspect we won't -- if we lost some 75% of our apple production this year, I'm betting we lost 100% of the cherries. Damn March weather!
Back in Switzerland, we had our own cherry tree... it was cold there this spring, and I wonder whether it is bearing any cherries this year...
We had the opposite weather this year in Nevada, cold, dry winter and mild spring. Our pie cherry tree has more cherries this year than all five previous years combined. We usually have awful late spring freezes that take out the blossoms and young fruit of everything from apricots to pears.
Anyone have tips for pitting large quantities of pie cherries?
Bought some sweet cherries 2 weeks ago, product of U.S. although it did not specify the state. They were awful. Worst cherries in years. I hope I can find some good Washington ones soon, I've got a clafouti jones.
Washington had no such mild winter, and as such we have awesome cherries showing up in our farmers markets.
I live in a major fruit producing region in NY. Its not just cherries. All our stone fruit and a lot of our apple and pear crops are almost non-existent.