A century ago, the Montmorency cherry was a cash crop in Loveland, Colo. Today, Colorado Cherry Company co-owner Elias Lehnert says his fourth-generation family business’ name can be somewhat confusing.
“(Cherries) are not really grown in Colorado at scale anymore,” Lehnert lamented.
At the height of every fruit pie season, Lehnert and his family are searching the state for locally grown cherries, but they’ll often end up sourcing primarily from Utah and as far away as Michigan.
“When you find good Colorado cherries, get ’em and get ’em fast,” agreed Amy Kafka, owner of Garden Sweet in Fort Collins.
At Kafka’s 10-acre farm, fruits from strawberries to raspberries, melons and apples are nearing their August-September harvest. She and her family invite visitors each summer and fall to pick their own selection, whether for making pies at home or just for snacking.
“Strawberries and raspberries grow really well here; the bright sunshine and the cool nights contribute to their amazing flavor,” Kafka said, adding, “Our season is a little later than a lot of people expect… strawberries kind of take a vacation in July, since they don’t like the heat.”
While the berries are on a midsummer break, Colorado’s peaches are hanging heavy on their branches, ready for harvest. Picking and shipping are already underway from the Western Slope in places like Palisade and Hotchkiss.
And even though Delta County was hit with a sudden frost last October, “as an industry, we’re probably looking at about 70-80% of our normal crop yield,” explained Harrison Topp of Topp Fruits in Hotchkiss.
“It’s a situation where we’re not going to have a hard time selling what we’ve got, luckily,” he added.
Topp Fruits will ship some of its peaches to Colorado Cherry Company for pies and cobblers. Otherwise, shoppers will find those peaches and apples — and in better years, plums and cherries — at markets and through CSAs in the area.
“I think there were about two (growers) that had about 100 pounds of cherries this year,” Topp added of the cherry industry in Colorado.
But other fruits over the next weeks and months will be available at the smallest farm stands but also from the big-box grocers.
“While I think a lot of us take a lot of pride in our farms’ different unique brands, collectively as a group we do work together to maintain a reputation for quality for all Colorado fruit,” Topp said.
Just don’t get your hopes up about those Colorado cherries.
If you do still want a taste of cherry cider, jam, pie and more products made in Colorado, however, you’ll find the Lehnerts’ shops in Denver, Lyons, Estes Park and that original 1960s-era cabin along Highway 34 in Loveland.
Here’s when you’ll see some of Colorado’s best homegrown fruits in fields, at markets and on grocery shelves:
Cherries – from late June to July (good luck)
Peaches – starting mid-to-late July
Cantaloupe (Rocky Ford) – starting mid-to-late July
Strawberries – starting in August
Raspberries – starting in September
Apples – from September to October
Get recipes + more on The Denver Post.
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