Despite Heat, Northwest Growers Expect Record Cherry Harvest in 2014

Despite boiling weather for much of the summer,  there's going to be a LOT of cherries to go around.

According to the Washington State Fruit Commission Wednesday,  23.2 million 20-pound boxes were picked this year between WA, OR, Idaho, Montana and Utah.  That is just above the 2012 record.

Washington alone produced about 80 percent of sweet cherries grown in the Northwest region, which includes the afore-mentioned states.

Some 21.6 million boxes were harvested, over 328,000 more than the previous record set in 2012.   Despite periods of well over 100 degrees, which kept farmers hopping trying to preserve their crops from stress, the harvest went well, and June was the biggest on record.

Cherry growing officials say the market is growing rapidly for sweet cherries, especially due to recent research showing the strong anti-inflammatory qualities of the fruit.  This has increased demand for the cherries nationwide.   Overseas exports continue to grow, as 32% of the crop was sent to countries such as Canada, Korea, China and Hong Kong.