After a season "full of unknowns", growers in the New South Wales Central West say they have harvested some of the biggest cherries they have ever seen.
Cherries are usually harvested before Christmas, but low temperatures during spring and December led to a delay.
Fiona Hall, a grower near Orange, said she had never seen cherries grow so large before.
"The fruit has been hanging longer because it has taken so long to ripen with all the cold nights, which means that we have a lot larger fruit," she said.
"Overall we are down in yields, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it means you get more size in your cherries."
Ms Hall said many growers missed out on Christmas sales.
"It is the first time ever we are looking closer to an Australia Day completion rather than a new year's harvest — it is just crazy that it is that late," she said.
"Chinese New Year is very early this year — we will capture that instead, so it is an interesting year with a different market."
Fellow Orange-based grower Guy Gaeta said the unusual season had created opportunities for producers to move away from focusing on Christmas demand.
"It has been late, but a godsend, because it shows that people still eat cherries after Christmas and there is no reason that they shouldn't," he said.
Consumers to benefit
Over Christmas, a one kilogram punnet of cherries cost around $35 but the price has now fallen back to $25.
"They were quite expensive before Christmas because of supply and demand but they are really good value right now and we are just about to hit the best and sweetest varieties," Ms Hall said.
"I don't think I have tried better cherries than what is out there this year."
Mr Gaeta said the quality of the harvest was a welcome relief after a growing season full of unknowns due to the poor weather conditions.
"We have never dealt with so much rain in spring all the way till the middle of December," he said.
"I didn't think we were going to pick a cherry this year, we have really dodged a bullet."
