Michigan fruit crops devastated by crazy spring weather

photo credit: jsorbieus via photo pin cc Those wonderful March days of temperatures in the 70s and 80s gave way to frigid April temperatures and harmful freezes. Fruit trees blossomed early because of the warm weather and the freezing temperatures killed the fragile buds.

This is horrible news for Michigan's fruit farmers who have seen the tart cherry crop all but destroyed and the sweet cherry, apple, and other fruit crops severely damaged.

I'm not sure what the total affect will be on the cherry products that we carry in our gourmet Michigan gift baskets. Most likely, we will be faced with a choice of higher costs (due to little if any tart cherry crop this year) in some instances or the likelihood of having to replace some of our cherry products with other Michigan fruits.

We'll keep you posted on our cherry product availability and at the same time - we'll keep a lookout for other products to carry in the event that cherry products become too costly or unavailable.

Try our Michigan Cherry Gift Basket

This new Michigan gift basket was inspired by the wooden crates that orchards have used over the years. We even imprinted the ends with "Michigan Cherries" and the silhouette of Michigan's beautiful peninsulas. The tasty Michigan cherry products in this gift basket -

• 21 oz. bottle of Cherry Barbeque Sauce
• 1/2 lb. delicious dried cherries
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Dip mix - great on just about anything!
• 12 oz. jar of Michigan Cherry Preserves
• 13 oz. package of Germack's Cherry Berry Nut Mix
• 5oz. bag of White Chocolate Cherry Caramel Corn - hands down my favorite popcorn!

Order one today!

30 pound cherry pie delivered to President Roosevelt on July 6, 1939

Photo's information via the Library of Congress -

30 pound cherry pie for president. Washington, D.C., July 6. A 30 pound cherry pie was accepted for President Roosevelt today by Presidential Secretary Edwin M. Watson from nineteen year old Jean Halmond, Queen of Michigan's National Cherry Festival. The queen flew here to make the presentation of the pie which was baked here from Michigan cherries under

Bad news for the 2008 Michigan cherry crop

Michigan cherry farmers are looking at what could be as small of a crop as the decimated 2002 cherry crop for their projected 2008 crop. Hail, late frost, weak trees from last year's drought, and poor bee pollination are sited as reasons behind the weak outlook. Growers are looking at a cherry crop that will most likely be less than half of 2007 totals. The 2007 cherry crop was 134 million pounds. The official cherry crop estimate for 2008 is due out today from the Michigan Frozen Food Packers Association.

Read the full article at the Traverse City Record-Eagle