DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — It’s cherry blossom season on the peninsula and local orchards are seeing both petals and tourists as Door County eases into cherry and tourism season.
- Robertson's Orchard in Sturgeon Bay, A fifth-generation family orchard.
- Cherry blossoms throughout the Peninsula
- Hyline Orchard's acres of cherry trees in Fish Creek
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Skipp Robertson is a fifth-generation owner of Robertson's Orchard in Sturgeon Bay.
"Cherry blossoms, they're magical no matter where you go for them," Robertson said.
He says cherries are at the heart of what makes Door County so special.
"Door County used to be known as Cherryland USA. I still call it Cherryland USA, well, because it's just my life," Robertson said.
He says the cherry industry took root here for a reason: Door County’s unique growing conditions gave farmers a natural advantage.
"Back when they first started planting cherries here, they just found that the climate, the soil type, and Door County have a natural resistance to late frost," Robertson said.
He expects to see anywhere from ten to 100 cars a day at the orchard this cherry season.
Explore Door County’s Cherry Orchards with NBC26:
"It's getting, starting to pick up where people are coming up here now, they're waiting for the blossoms," Tracy Robertoy, the owner of Hyline Orchard in Fish Creek, said
She says that with the weather we had earlier this year, it might delay the cherry-picking season.
"We kinda had some goofy weather. It all varies," Robertoy said.
In Door County, cherries aren’t just something you toss in a fruit salad; they’re a way of life and part of the culture.
"My grandma always incorporated cherries with anything, like she did cherry barbecue sauce, cherry salsa," Robertoy said.
Both orchards say they’re hoping to see the same, if not more, tourists this year, as the cherry blossom season stretches a little longer just before the sweet cherry season kicks off.
