Some growers enjoy early harvest

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The hot sun helps to sweeten Valley fruit but the warm winter actually helped speed up some crop production.

Shoppers can't resist the Valley's colorful bounty. The farmers market at Kaiser Permanente was full of folks making healthy choices.

Gayle Willems of Berry Lady Farms in Kingsburg is wrapping up an extended harvest. She said the mild winter brought her fruit into season much earlier than usual this year.

Willems explained, "I think it was a little longer because we started two weeks early so it was a week or two longer. Actually the blueberries loved the weather this year. What I call a San Diego winter was good for the berries."

Growers said some crops - like cherries - were almost non-existent this season because of a lack of chill hours which allow trees to go dormant and store up energy. But other fruit trees produced like any other year.

Sweet Tree Farms grows organic nectarines, plums and peaches. The Dinuba farm also enjoyed an early start to the harvest season.

Denise Hernandez said, "It was nice. It was a treat because everyone was waiting for our stone fruit to come out. It was early this year. It was two weeks early so we started I would stay the beginning of May."

Growers here typically raise various varieties of fruits and vegetables. They come into season at different times to keep shoppers happy throughout the summer.