Cherries are on sale for rock bottom prices throughout Italy as the entire crop unexpectedly ripens at the same time.
In normal years, Italian cherries mature first in the south, kicking off a two month harvest season that slowly moves northward with warming temperatures. 2011, however, has brought unseasonably warm spring days up and down the peninsula, causing all the cherries to ripen at once and reducing the harvest time to just one month.
The cherry season usually ends in northern Italy on June 24th, the Feast of St. John. But northern growers are already beginning their harvest in mid-May, like in the south, and many onlookers are blaming climate change for the freak yield.
Despite an early return, this year’s crop is of outstanding quality and the influx of fruit has driven prices down 50%.
The low prices won’t last once the domestic harvest is done, so now is the perfect time to stock up. Next week look out for our new recipe for a delicious Italian cherry liquor made in a style similar to limoncello.
