It is time to grab your buckets and head to your local cherry orchard in Door County. After last year’s cherry season got off to an early start thanks to a warmer spring, this year’s crop will be ready for its more traditional mid-July start. Toni Sorenson from Soren’s Valhalla Orchards says this year’s cherries have benefited from a recent streak of good weather. That includes some timely rains that will allow the fruit to gain size before picking it.

Sorenson says they often get calls for certain varieties of cherries like Bing and Rainier, but they are more generalized terms for sweet cherries. More important for consumers is to make sure they get cherries grown in the United States if they are not going straight to the orchard, so the dollars spent stay right with local growers. She expects the first sweet cherry pickers to hit her orchards on July 11th, with those looking to grab some tart cherries later in the week.