Cherries

When locals think of cherries, they tend to think of Linden, known both for its annual festival and the pink cherry blossoms that bloom every spring. John likes cherries for their seasonality. “When they’re on, they’re on,” he says of growing the crop on his 150-acre farm.

While cherries are amongst his favorites to grow, they aren’t the easiest to harvest. John calls cherries temperamental, and because the season is only six to eight weeks in total, you have to be really dialed in to produce a good harvest.

“I’m a firm believer in you get back what you put into the soil,” John says, which is one reason he decided to dedicate his time and effort into transforming his land into a certified organic farm. The nutrient-dense soil created through constant composting and care results in better tasting cherries.

The elongated winter and extra rain this year will delay cherry season, according to John. He expects the crops to come out about two weeks later than usual, and this will affect when locals see them in stores and restaurants. That’s in large part because local farms, like Golden Bear Ranch, are the ones supplying the fruit. John’s cherries wind up on shelves of local grocers and in restaurants such as Podesto’s, Pietro’s, Guantonios, Wine & Roses, and Market Tavern. The rest are shipped international.

John isn’t the only farmer invested in cherries. Joe and Matt are turning out the crop, as well, but it looks a little different for them. In addition to getting fruit local, they truck to cities like Bakersfield and Gustine to harvest their cherries, as well. “This is the latest season on record due to the great winter we had,” Joe says. “It’s been a mess for our retailers who need to fill the produce department… but I feel it’s been a blessing for us because we have had such great weather leading into harvest.” When California cherry harvest drops off, Joe and Matt will take their operation to the northwest, where cherry harvests tend to happen later.