It’s been a sweet season for cherries at Geier’s Fruit & Berry Farm.
What wasn’t so sweet this summer, for the farm’s owner Randy Geier, was news of a less successful cherry season at Okanagan orchards. Between that, the heat, wildfires and smoke, fewer people, particularly tourists, have visited his Salmon Arm u-pick at 3820 40th St. SE.
“We were busy but last week was kind of slow, but there were a lot of factors involved,” said Geier. “Part of it was the media – in the Okangan, the heat wave went through and apparently burned them all up and that sort of stuff. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that this year, thinking there’s not going to be anything.”
“We actually had a really good crop. We still have some but it will probably be over pretty quick here. Our season usually runs from about July 16 to Aug. 10 or 14, maybe, depending on the year.”
As of Aug. 5, there was still plenty of ripe cherries available to pick at Geier’s orchard in a number of varieties including lapin, skeena, rainier and starburst.
“There’s about 16 different varieties here, they all ripen at different times,” said Geier. “So the earlier ones, some are finished, picked through or just overripe or whatever. But we do have some that are just starting.”
Staff at Geier’s are available to set pickers up with buckets, and can give them a lift if needed through the orchard on the approximately 20-acre property.
Geier’s Fruit & Berry Farm is currently open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Aug. 8, after which hours may be reduced. For more information, visit Geier’s Fruit & Berry Farm on Facebook.
Read more: ‘The most stressful year of my life’: Okanagan cherries devastated by heat wave
Read more: Cherries ripening for the picking in Salmon Arm
lachlan@saobserver.net
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