Regardless of whether sweet or sour cherries grow in your garden, eating cherries is a symbol of summer. Stone fruits are one of the early types of fruit that ring in the season. This can be expanded through a coordinated combination of different varieties.
When is the cherry season in Germany?
The cherry season in Germany usually begins at the beginning of May and extends until August, with the peak season being between June and July. Depending on the cherry variety, the harvest time can vary, with early, middle and late varieties being different.
Garden season
In Germany, the cherry blossom blooms from April to May, with the exact period depending on the region and climate. A tree blooms over three weeks. The branches of sweet cherries are covered with flowers about two weeks earlier than those of sour cherries. Accordingly, the peak season for cherries is between June and July. Different harvest times are possible due to the variety of varieties. The stone fruits are in low season in May and August.
Cherry Week
This system describes the harvest times for cherry varieties, with a week comprising 15 days. It goes back to the cherry pomologist Truchseß von Wetzhausen, who set binding ripening times for Germany. The 'Earliest of the Mark' is the starting variety for the cherry season, which usually begins at the beginning of May. Depending on the region and climatic conditions, the first cherries will ripen sooner or later.
Cherry varieties and their ripeness for harvest:
- early varieties (cherry week 1 to 4): 'Bernhard Nette', 'Rivers Frühe' and 'Kaiserkirsche'
- medium varieties (cherry week 5 to 7): 'Bopparder Hängige', 'Spanish from the Middle Rhine' and 'Diemitzer Amarelle'
- late varieties (cherry week 8 to 10): 'Filsener Goldperle', 'Koröser Weichsel' and 'Schöne von Chatenay'
The range of varieties is increasingly expanding. There are now early-ripening varieties whose full maturity occurs before the harvest time of the comparison variety. Such varieties are labeled as ripening before the first cherry week. The 'Red Late Harvest' is a cartilaginous cherry that is currently considered the latest cherry to be ready for harvest in Germany. Their fruit ripening extends from the tenth to the twelfth cherry week.
Harvest tips
As soon as the fruit can be easily separated from the stem, it is fully ripe. Cherries are only picked when ripe for consumption, as they are not climatic fruits and therefore do not ripen. In contrast to apples, pears or plums, drupes ripen evenly on the tree. You can pick the fruit over a period of one to two weeks, although ripe specimens should not hang around for too long. It is important that you harvest cherries at the right time.
When cherries burst
The stone fruit is rich in dissolved substances such as fruit acids and sugar. Rainwater, on the other hand, contains dissolved minerals in very low concentrations. When the water comes into contact with the fruit, the concentration equalizes. The water draws into the pulp, so that the volume of the fruit increases significantly. This puts the outer skin under tension. Once the maximum tension point has been reached, the shell tears open.
Tip
When it's ready to eat, the sugar content is particularly high, so the risk of bursting is at its maximum. Therefore, always keep an eye on the weather and harvest on time.