Last year, while we were away on our mission and Kyra and Hannah were housesitting, they had big plans to pick and sell our cherry crop. They’d come up with a name and logo for their little business, and were excited for the harvest and all the fun they’d have (and money they’d make). Sadly, a late frost killed all the blossoms, and the orchard didn’t produce any fruit. It was a huge problem for the entire Flathead Valley– many people have massive cherry orchards and rely on the income. Kyra and Hannah were disappointed.
Fast forward to this summer, when the harvest was incredible. Throughout the Valley, every cherry tree was weighed down by fruit. I’ve never seen such a bumper crop.
Every branch had huge clumps of cherries. Picking them was so easy: you’d just wrap your hand around the clump (if your hand was big enough!) and pull.
As is tradition, I wanted to deliver our delicious fruit to friends. I spent about an hour picking a single tree, and ended up with at least fifty pounds of cherries! I cleaned and bagged them, threw everything into a cooler, and headed out.
As usual, it was a blast to surprise people on their doorsteps with a bag of fresh-picked cherries. Nearly everyone invited me in for a chat. My twenty-some deliveries took me almost ten hours! Worth it.