The Tart Cherry Panic of 2025

Tart cherry season in Michigan technically runs from late June through early August. But let me tell you: technically doesn’t mean reliably. Because in practice? It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it affair. Especially in recent years.

The moment you get an email or text from your favorite orchard—the one you've been loyally following for years—your window has already started to close. You can hear the faint echo of a message that says: “Picking starts Tuesday,” and by the time you’ve grabbed your keys, checked the weather, and remembered where your sunscreen is, the cherries are gone.

I’m exaggerating. But only slightly.

This year, the place we usually go, Goodfellow Orchards, started picking on July 3rd and were completely done by the 8th. That’s it. Done. Over. You blink, and suddenly it’s peaches and blueberries everywhere and you’re standing there holding an empty pie plate like a fool.

Which is why, when we got the alert this year, we went. We picked our tart cherries on the Fourth of July, right here in Milan, Michigan at Wasem Farms. It was an easy pick—seriously, we maybe tossed two cherries total. They were absolutely gorgeous: plump, shiny, firm, and in incredible shape.

And once we had them, we got to work.

Saturday, we made Luxardo-style cocktail cherries—one of our all-time favorite uses for tart cherries. Sticky, boozy, dark red little orbs of joy. They’re perfect for cocktails, spooned over vegan ice cream, or eaten straight out of the jar when nobody’s looking.

Then Sunday was tart cherry jam day. That bright red jam was bubbling on the stove made the whole house smelled like the best part of summer. Tangy, bright, a little sweet—exactly how tart cherry jam should be. You can make the Jam by following the directions on the Sure-Jell instructions, or even better just make it a little extra special and pectin free.

As for the rest of the week? The leftover cherries went into desserts and cocktails. Because when it is a good year for cherries in Michigan—and this one was—you make time. You pick. You preserve. You savor. It’s worth every penny, every sticky-finger, every hour in the kitchen.