Concerned thinking has been happening here. Acceptance is growing. Peace of Mind needs more fertilizer. Beauty is here, she consistently arrives. Farmer Dan says, “Quell worry and fear. Crease the forehead but pucker the lips into a smooch and a smile.”
We will stealthily tell our story: It began last fall when the green cherry leaves hung onto their trees longer. We waited for the leafy golden colors, waited, waited. The cherry buds grew. The buds became fatter and swelled. Baby cherries are born in the fall and then they gestate. The trees went to sleep. It was a restless sleep.
The trees awakened during some December milder temps. Then, January slammed our area. The freezing numbers were lower than we have experienced here.
Throughout this valley, we heard: “Minus 30 degrees, minus 40 degrees, minus 16 degrees.” Everywhere, “below zero.” Our buds were killed.
Our Adulation for this cherry is great. You will understand because this is the only cherry on its tree. We call it a “Singleton.
Yes, we are concerned for each of our customers. We have all been fortunate, We have enjoyed more than abundant crops over nearly 20 years. We have all polished off hundreds of thousands of pounds of cherries.
Our trees remain healthy and we care for them now. This year, we have zero sweet cherries for anyone.
We are sorry for our customers, for our families, and for our own jam pot. There are problems in many crops around the U.S.
Our apples, plums, and pears are ready. The 2023 weather has given us a beautiful and long growing season. We will be open for apple picking during the next few weeks.
Call Farmer Dan if you would like to visit the orchard. 406-871-5499.
Our branches are bending low, heavy with many different varieties of apples. The apples are delicious, crisp, and good for eating or baking. Guaranteed, our historical Macs make the best pies and deserts.
Our best applesauce making technique: Use a roasting pan. 1. Wash apples, peel apples, then chunk them into pieces. Simply, use a knife to cut the apple pieces into a roasting pan and toss the seeds and core into the compost. Any chunk is the right size! 2. Add a little sweetener and cinnamon, if you like. 3. Add a small amount of water, a few tablespoons. (enough to kick off a bit of moisture and steam. 4. Roast in the oven until the apples are tender, we like a few browned, savory tips.
There you have it, the most delicious applesauce without watching the pot or fighting hot spots and burning pot bottoms. To preserve: We jar the applesauce, add a lid, and put into the boiling water canner for ten minutes.
To make things really easy, we sterilize clean jars from the dishwasher in the oven, Place the jars on a cookie sheet and bake the empty jars for ten minutes in 350 degree oven. Boil the lids. You will have great applesauce throughout the year until next season. Homemade is far better than any purchased jar.
We are moving our Harvest start date to July 18, 2023. No rain and hot temperatures are ripening the cherries beautifully. The cherries have had time to grow large. They are firm and perfect.
Call farmer Dan a day or two before you want to visit. We will open each day, after July 17, at 8:00 am. We will close at 1:00 pm. Farmer Dan will give you directions to our Bigfork, Montana, Orchard. (406-871-5499)
Here are a few photos and video taken last evening, July 8, 2023. We both work for this special Harvest time. Our service in life is to provide the very best fruits to our wonderful and special customers. Happy Days.
Practicing Patience is required during this pre-harvest time in 2023. At the East Shore of Flathead Lake, our Montana weather teases with a rotation of warm days and cool days. Knock on wood, we have not had hail.
We understand you all will want to hear, quickly, about our upcoming harvest. In our orchard, we like to give some of our trees an extraordinary space for growth. This photo is of a special Lambert tree that survived historical winters when the entire area lost their trees. Enjoy this photo while you read our particulars.
The harvest will probably begin the last week of July. This is nearly impossible to predict. Today, June 25, 2023, from our current observations, we will guess, last week in July for our start. If you want to come to the orchard, call 406-871-5499 from July 24 until we finish around approximately August 19. Call a day, or two, before you want to visit. We will pick during mornings. 8:00 am. -1:00 pm. You must call and talk with Farmer Dan. We look forward to a fun season.
In the orchard, we need to know each tree as an individual. They begin to ripen at various speeds. Eventually, they come together to make our crop. We are seeing various phases and colors now. When growth is achieved, we stop irrigation to develop flavor. The trees tell us what to do. We work to have the best cherries we can produce.
The cherries today: “straw”, is the name for this phase. The name describes the color and growth period.
We made some New Work Here for Us
During this waiting time, we have planted the new peach trees. The blueberries are in the ground. This new work will produce fruit in the next seasons. Here is a photo of Farmer Dan with just one of our new blueberries. These plants are astonishing. We are excited about our new peaches and blueberries. There are 90 new peach trees and many blueberries.
It has happened. A few days ago, our snow and sleet stopped. Yesterday, May 1, 2023 was 88 degrees Fahrenheit and today, 91 degrees. We are not sure how this growth situation will proceed. Our Bing cherries have burst into bloom. The lilac buds are gaining color. The Lapin Sweet Cherries are popping blossoms here and there. In optimistic hope, Farmer Dan predicts a cool down in temps and all will be well for a nice growing season.
I am listening to hot blowing wind as I write this news from the orchard. We cannot guess our harvest time. We may see some early crops. A smart farmer will not project outcomes at this time in May.
Our job during this heatwave is to get the work done and the momentum into high gear. Dan ran up the mountain yesterday to turn on our irrigation. We must conquer the fast beginnings of weeds. Our seeds and plants can go into the ground if they are new this spring. We are adding more blueberries, some peach trees, a few apple trees, and new hazelnuts. Pruning continues. We love our work and will hope for the best from Mother Nature for all of our plants and trees.
It was a radical winter and we are cheered by the life that survived. It seems that even the roses are coming in with new life. We got lucky.
Above all, we all must enjoy this glorious Spring wherever we live.
Prime sweet cherries, peaches, plums, pears, apples, berries, events. Located in Montana at Flathead Lake, Yellow Bay.
Getmans' Orchard and Vineyard 