It's time to pick your own cherries in Door County. Here's how the cherries are this year
DOOR COUNTY - The arrival of July gives Door County another annual major attraction for thousands of visitors – cherries, and the chance to pick them themselves.
Cherry orchards across the Peninsula are geared up for people to head out among the trees, buckets in hand, to hand-select the sweets and tarts they want.
So, how are the pick-your-own cherry crops for 2024 in Door County?
The crops are heavy this year, but a number of them are taking their time to ripen, several orchard operators have indicated. The weather hasn't been a huge help, although late torrents of rain helped.
The winter of 2023-24 was much drier and warmer than usual in Wisconsin, with record-setting average high temperatures in December and February, and much of the state, Door County included, receiving between 10 and 20 inches less precipitation than normal.
But April and May of 2024 were wetter than normal, and then late June ? a week or two before pick-your-own season ? brought tremendous amounts of rain to Door County, with areas around Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door getting anywhere from 7 to 10 inches in the last 10 days of the month, including a June 25 gullywasher that dropped 4 to 7 inches in places.
All that rain has been a major plus for this year's cherry crop, several orchard owners and managers said.
"Last year was a drought. This year, there's so much rain we can't stop it," said Sue Selvick, co-owner with husband, Tom, of Meleddy Cherry Orchard in Sturgeon Bay. "It's good for (the cherry trees). You can see it with flowers and other plants, they're just growing."
"We got rain at the right time," said Debbie Musil, manager of Choice Orchards in Sturgeon Bay.
It also helped, Musil said, that a couple of days occurred between the downpours.
"We had a chance to dry up," she said. "I didn't see anything in the orchard that died because of drowning."
However, there can be too much rain where cherry crops are concerned, said Toni Sorenson, co-owner of Soren's Valhalla Orchards in Sturgeon Bay. She said the fruits of cherry trees will continuously soak up whatever moisture there is, and if they absorb too much, the fruits will split open.
"We tell people if they see cherries split open, just pick them and throw them on the ground," Sorenson said.
But rain also means clouds, and Selvick said it's frequently been overcast, slowing the cherries' ripening a little.
"You need sun. That's what makes the cherries ripen," Selvick said.
The timing of the sun matters for orchards with sweet cherries because those generally ripen in early July, about a week to 10 days earlier than tart cherries.
Soren's Valhalla Orchards posted June 29 on its Facebook page, "Sweet cherries aren’t ripe yet … We need some heat," but Sorenson told the Advocate they'll open for some sweet varieties July 3. Sir Reginald's posted June 26 on its Facebook page, "The cherries are getting more color and size, but when I taste them, they don't have the sweetness needed yet. We need heat and sun," although a post four days later said their orchards will open for pick-your-owns July 3.
However, the past weekend was mostly sunny and more of those types of days are predicted over the next week, which of course would help. In fact, Choice Orchards opened for sweet cherry picking this past weekend.
The number of available cherries is plentiful, though, with Musil reporting an at-least average crop at Choice Orchards, well better than last year's, Sorenson said her crop size was maybe a little above average and Selvick said Meleddy's crop might be its best.
"We probably have the best crop we've ever had," Selvick said. "We're loaded."
Musil described another factor that she said makes this year's crops at Choice "perfect for picking."
"Last year was a very light crop," she said. "This year, they're nice for picking. They're hanging low in the trees so people can pick them easily."
What to know before you go
Interested pickers should call the orchards or visit their websites, especially their Facebook pages, for the latest information, including projected opening and closing dates. Picking season can run anywhere from a week or less to a month, depending on the size of the orchards, the number of customers, type of cherries (the tart cherry season usually starts later and runs longer than sweets) and how long cherries remain available.
A number of orchards accept cash or check only for payment. Dress for being in the outdoors, potentially under the sun, for an hour or more. Some places allow pickers to take vehicles into the orchards for those with accessibility issues, but pickers should check before going.
Also, remember that most orchards offer pre-picked fresh cherries for sale as well as other cherry goods.
Pick-your-own orchards
Here's a list of cherry orchards holding pick-your-own seasons in Door County; information is gathered from websites, social media and phone calls.
Soren's Valhalla Orchards, 2412 Idlewild Road, Sturgeon Bay: Open July 3 for pick-your-own sweet cherries, around July 13 for tart cherries; pick-your-owns expected to be available for two to three weeks. Closed Tuesdays for orchard maintenance. Orchard recommends bringing coolers to take cherries home. Also has strawberry picking at a different location, 6491 County J, Sturgeon Bay. 920-746-1102, sorensvalhallaorchards.com or facebook.com/sorensvalhallaorchardsllc.
Robertson Orchards of Door County, 2575 S. Shiloh Road, Sturgeon Bay: Expect to open July 3 for sweet cherry picking, around July 12 for tart cherries. 920-743-1351 or facebook.com/RobertsonOrchards.
Choice Orchards, 4594 County HH, Sturgeon Bay: Open June 29 for some pick-your-own sweet cherries, expecting July 12 for tart cherries, each expected to last about three weeks. 920-743-8980, choiceorchard.com or facebook.com/choiceorchards.
Cherry Lane Orchards, 7525 Cherry Lane, Sturgeon Bay: Expects to open for Montmorency tart cherry picking July 12 but weather could change that, according to its Facebook page and a recorded message on its phone (check for updates). 920-856-6864, cherrylaneorchards.com or "Cherry Lane Orchards" Facebook page.
Kielar Akers Orchard, S648 State 42, Sturgeon Bay: Opening for tart cherry picking July 13 tart cherries; check its Facebook page for updates on how long the season will run. 920-856-6978 or facebook.com/kielarakers.
Meleddy Cherry Orchard, 1038 Mill Road, Sturgeon Bay: Anticipates opening July 8 for tart cherry picking. Also has two industrial cherry pitters through which pickers can run their cherries. 414-379-6508, meleddycherryfarm.com or facebook.com/meleddycherryorchard.
Paradise Farms Orchard, 2565 County C, Brussels: Open for tart cherries July 5. 920-825-7274 or "Paradise Farms Orchard - Door County" Facebook page.
Sir Reginald's Sweet Cherry Orchard, 2631 County C, Brussels: Open for sweet cherries July 3, expecting to sell out in three or four days. 920-495-9177 or "Sir Reginald's Sweet Cherry Orchard - Door County" Facebook page.
Schartner's Farm Market, 6476 State 42, Egg Harbor: Expecting to open around July 12 to 14 for sweet and tart cherry picking. Tart cherries should be available for a week or two, sweets for a few days. 920-743-8617 or facebook.com/schartnersfarmmarket.
Hyline Orchard Farm Market, 8240 State 42, Fish Creek: Open July 5 or 6 for tart cherry picking, expects availability for at least two weeks. 920-868-3067, hylineorchards.com or "Hyline Orchard Farm Market Inc." Facebook page.
Lautenbach's Orchard Country, 9197 State 42, Fish Creek: Currently predicting July 19 to 28 or while supplies last for tart cherries, although prepicked sweets should be available in the market around July 6 and prepicked tarts a week later. 866-946-3263, orchardcountry.com or facebook.com/orchardcountry.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Picking your own Door County cherries? Here's a look at the 2024 crop
