The 41st annual Cherry Pickers Trot returns Thursday at Green Bluff
COLBERT, Wash. — Cherry season up at Green Bluff has become synonymous with their annual event, the Cherry Pickers Trot! Towards the end of each cherry season, growers come together to host a celebration of the beloved fruit. There’s everything from a 4-mile run through the orchards, a pit spitting competiton, pies and cherry-packed goods galore and a fun, smaller-scale version of the race for the kids!
This morning on Good Morning Northwest, our Caroline Flynn visited four different orchards who are counting down the days till the event, to get tips on everything from picking the best cherries to how to win the pit spit competition!
The first stop was Priddy Good Fruit. They are located at 8903 E Greenbluff Rd. For the first time this year, they’ll be handling the pit spit competition! They informed us that participants will only be given three cherries per entry, as it’s one of the most popular activities at the event. So, if you would like to win, get in lots of practice before at home!
Next, Sunset Orchard showed us the proper, and safe way to climb up the orchard ladders to pick the best cherries! Bill Firmage, owner of Sunset Orchard at 8110 E Greenbluff Rd., has taken safety courses on the topic and says it is important to keep three limbs on the ladder at all times and to never let your knees go past the very last step!
As for what to look for when picking the perfect cherry, Cherryshack Orchard at 8709 E Greenbluff Rd, recommends picking darker colored cherries and with the stem attached, if you’d like them to last a while.
Most folks walk away with pounds and pounds of cherries post-picking. It may be all fun as you do so, but a pain when it comes to figuring out ways to use them all! Harvest House, located at 9919 E Greenbluff Rd , eminds pickers to know what cherries they are picking and use recipes that call for them to avoid an unpleasant taste! Their shelves are stocked with pies, turnovers and other treats.
All the Cherry Pickers Trot fun starts at 5 p.m. You can learn more about the event, and sign up for the race by clicking here.
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