Cherry-picking season is underway in Leona Valley

Cherries are starting to ripen in Leona Valley and this weekend and next, many of the area’s you-pick farms are opening their gates for the season. Get there while the gettin’ is good, as the time window is a short one.

In the rural orchard-rich region 10 miles west of Palmdale and just over an hour’s drive from Los Angeles, cherry-picking season often runs from late May through early July. However, orchards are opening a little later this year due to a late cherry bloom, according to Chris Jacobson, owner of Windy Ridge Cherry Orchard.

Her farm will be welcoming visitors starting Saturday, June 13, and she expects to be open three weekends, until June 28. “I have a lot of fruit,” she said, but added that “there have been years when I’ve been picked out in one weekend.”

Windy Ridge will be offering Bing and Rainier cherries, both sweet varieties, for picking.

Amber’s U-Pick Cherry Farm opened this week with a few of its 11 varieties of the fruit. Starting June 13, other varieties — like the Bing, Rainier and Utah Giant (a “large, red, sweet, tender cherry”) — will make their entrance, according to the farm’s website. The family farm plans to be open daily until it is sold out.

Big John’s Cherries is looking to open on Sunday, June 7, for a couple hours in the morning. Call before coming to confirm its opening times. The ranch will have cherries, honey and lavender for sale.

The season’s start for 5 Star Ranch is scheduled for Saturday, June 13. It plans to be open seven days a week until all cherries are gone. Opening the same day is the Cherry Pit Ranch.

The above orchards are just some of the venues that make up the Leona Valley Cherry Growers Assn., which, according to its website, assures that their fruit is pesticide-free. The cost of picked fruit (charged by the pound) varies by location.

Do you have any favorite cherry orchards or cherry-picking tips to share? Let us know in the Comments below.

- Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: David Karp / For The Times]

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 5, 2009 at 3:06 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Family & Kids, Los Angeles, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.