Heat Expedites, Reduces Flathead Cherry Season in Montana

You know it's July when roadside stands pop up like music boxes boasting world-renowned, tree-ripened Flathead Cherries.

If you're looking to get that once-a-year fix, you better hurry. The days of the roadside stands are waning.

Flathead Cherries are usually harvested from about the second week of July through the second week in August, depending upon the variety and orchard location around Flathead Lake, according to the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers.

But this year, 100-degree days in June expedited the crop, making the harvest one of the fastest in the past five years, said Ana Payne, a Kalispell distributor who was selling the berries this weekend in Billings. The harvest was about two weeks earlier than usual.

As a result, Payne said the roadside stands will be closing this week, cutting short the selling -- and eating -- season.

Early or late, the one constant is the taste and texture of the berries that resemble giant, purple marbles. They are a Montana staple and a rite of summer.

"They are a part of so many families' childhoods," Payne said. "Everyone seems to have a story about growing up with Flathead Cherries."

She has been traveling the state, handing out irresistible samples and selling the fruit for $5 per pound. It's one of her favorite parts of the season.

"I enjoy meeting the people at a grassroots level," Payne said. "I love seeing the expression on their faces when they taste a tree-ripened cherry. There's nothing like it."

If you're looking for fresh, Flathead Cherries, do not wait. The clock is ticking.

In 2014, the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers, a Montana Agricultural Cooperative of 70 Flathead growers, produced more than 2 million pounds of cherries.