The cherry season is in full swing: ‘Extra tasteful due to the many hours of sunshine’ | Cooking & Eating

The cherry season came early this year. Because of the many hours of sunshine, the cherries ripen faster and are also tastier, says cherry grower Jo Schaepkens. At his family business, they grow no fewer than seventeen different varieties. ,,The harvest of the early and medium varieties is good, but the harvest of the late varieties, such as the Regina, is somewhat disappointing. That’s because we had a few nights of frost in the spring.”

Preferably no night frost and a lot of sunshine in the spring: that is the most favorable for a good harvest. “And during the picking months we don’t want rain or high humidity. The chance of fruit rot and bursting of the cherries is then greater,” explains Schaepkens.

Once you’ve tasted fresh Dutch cherries, you won’t want anything else. The cherries in the supermarket often come from Greece, Italy or France. So they already have a long journey before they are on the shelves here and are therefore picked early, if they are not yet ripe. That is not always good for the taste.

Peeters: ,,The strength of the Dutch cherry is that it is already in the shops very shortly after the harvest. A Dutch grower can let his cherries ripen completely on the tree.” The fruits of cherry company Schaepkens are picked every morning. ,,We look, taste and inspect every day, so that they are picked at the right time’, says Schaepkens.

Most cherry growers can be found in the Betuwe, where the fruit grows on clay soil. However, Jo Schaepkens’ company is located in South Limburg, and there are also large cherry companies here and there in North Brabant and South Holland. Is there a difference in the cherries from different provinces? “Due to the different types of soil, there will certainly be a difference in taste and, for example, hardness of the cherry,” says Schaepkens. “In South Limburg we have calcareous loess soil, which enables us to grow very tasty cherries. I would say: come by and taste the difference!”

You can go to growers for fresh cherries from mid-June to August. “Dutch cherries will also be well represented at specialty greengrocers and markets, there are more and more retailers that have Dutch cherries in their range,” says Peeters.

What can you as a consumer pay attention to when buying it? “The somewhat paler cherries are often a sign of an unripe harvest,” says Peeters. ,,Dark cherries generally have a fuller taste. In addition, it is good to pay attention to the freshness of the stems. The stems must be green.” A tip from Schaepkens: ,,They should look tasteful, shiny.” Cherries are very fragile, so it’s best to buy them without damage.

And eat them quickly: you can keep cherries outside the fridge for one to two days. If you put them in the fridge, they can sometimes be kept for up to five days, but that comes at the expense of the taste. Wash the cherries before eating them and only remove the stems after washing.

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