With one week left until the official start of summer, more and more of the ubiquitous roadside fruit stands and farmers markets are coming to life around Michigan’s Great Southwest. If you’re looking for a good measure of how things are stacking up, you usually can’t go wrong by checking in with Bill & Monica Teichman from Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm of Eau Claire.
Not only are they prolific keepers of accurate weather records over the course of the years, they are typically an excellent benchmark for the crop growing season in the heart of Southwest Michigan’s “Fruit Belt.” Still one of the largest non-citrus fruit growing regions of the world, our orchards, vineyards, and farms bring a tremendous bounty annually when Mother Nature cooperates — thus the ideal name of Tree-Mendus Fruits.
I checked in this week with Teichmans to determine how the crops are stacking up, especially since our spring was so late in arriving on the doorstep.
Monica tells me, “With the cool spring temperatures all crops are running a week to 10 days late.” She cautions however, “That isn’t a blanket statement, however, because if we have really cooler weather now that could turn into two weeks…but spring has sprung and all is well here at Tree-Mendus.” She’s always careful to note, too that, “Mother Nature is always in control.”
Monica is the first woman to ever head up the Michigan State Horticultural Society and less than three months ago Bill was named by Governor Rick Snyder to the Michigan Tree Fruit Commission. They clearly know their business and are well respected in the agricultural community.
The Teichmans tell me that their first crop is Sweet Cherries, which typically start around the 15th of June, but Monica says, “We are looking at the 27th or so to be in ‘full swing’ harvest.” She adds, “The crop is nice and with the rain the cherries are sizing nicely. Tart Cherries will follow in the last week of June to the first week of July. They usually have a harvest time that runs about a month with the different varieties coming in at different times.”
The 2017 crop season weather was not kind to the Tree-Mendus apricot crop. Last year they endured a 90-percent crop loss in apricots and they say, “Because fruit trees are bi-annual (produce heavily every other year while still producing annually) without having anything last year we are busy right now manually thinning the crop.” They also say they are “Really looking forward to having them, because we missed them last year.” The apricot crop typically starts the first week of July, but Tree-Mendus is looking at the 2nd to 3rd week right now, due to the late and cooler spring.
Tree-Mendus Fruit Farms have become a leading example to agri-tourism, too with their legendary 4th of July International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship which is a regular entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. Entire families travel from far and wide, including internationally, to take part if the fun of that quirky affair which you can read about on their website at the link below.
Once the madness of pit-spitting eases on down the road, Monica says, “Peaches will follow, with early varieties in late July and carry through September.” She’s ecstatic over the peach crop saying, “We are blessed again with a great crop.” The delight stems from the turnaround from disappointing years earlier in the decade. As the Teichmans tell us, “We are still recovering from the 2012, 2013 winter kill on the peach trees. Losing more than 75-percent of our trees has been difficult for us to have the supply our customers demand.” Nevertheless, they are faithfully planting more trees every year and report, “They are growing and our supply continues to grow with them.” Monica admits, “The waiting process for a ‘Tree-Mendus Supply’ has been too long.”
For the apple lovers in the marketplace, Tree-Mendus does have some early varieties that they start to harvest in August, and that builds until late October. Monica says, “With over 200 varieties there is almost always a new variety to bring into the store once apple harvesting begins,” and notes, “Some varieties are a light crop but for the most part all apples look relatively good.”
Veterans from the family run operation for decades, the Teichmans are asked all the time about weather conditions and their impact on the crop cycles. Bill says, “We are just in the ending cycle of the ‘June Drop’ where the trees decide they don’t want to keep all the fruit they have developed, so they naturally lets go and the young fruit drops to the ground.” He adds, “It happens with many different kinds of tree fruit.”
Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, located at 9351 E. Eureka Road in Eau Claire, also produces crops of other tree fruits including plums, pears, and nectarines.
All in all, the Teichmans are hard at work and will be the first to tell you, “Everything looks nice and Tree-Mendus,” for the 2018 fruit crop season.
Be sure and make your way into the countryside and enjoy farm fresh products at every opportunity. You can learn more about Tree-Mendus and see the expected crop to market dates by clicking the link below:
