Van cherries before harvest.
Well after a longer wait than we expected, the cherry harvest is here! We are very, very excited, as this is the first real cherry harvest from our orchard. We netted the trees a few weeks ago and the extra work paid off. While the ants got a few of the cherries, the birds, wood rats and squirrels were kept at bay.
Harvesting cherries is still a low-tech affair…
Most of this day’s harvest was from the Van and Black Tartarian grafted tree. The cherries are mostly Vans. We planted the Van / Tartarian tree to pollinate the Bing cherry tree, but the bonus is another crop of cherries. The Vans look like Bings, but are smaller with slightly lighter color skin and flesh. They are sweet, but not too sweet, with a pleasant crunch. We had a smaller crop of the Black Tartarians and they are really, really good. The Tartarians, not surprisingly, have deep purple color and flesh. The cherries are very sweet and incredibly juicy. The Tartarians are a pleasant surprise, the only bummer is that few made it out of the orchard- they were enjoyed straight from the tree. We will aim for more next year (perhaps another tree).
Day 1: Vans, Bings and Black Tartarians.
We also started on the Bing tree, which is dense with fruit on almost every branch. The cherries are ripening somewhat unevenly, so we will work the tree over the next few days. The Bings are a delight. There is a reason they are the most popular fresh cherry. They are big and sweet and one of the closest things to “natural” candy you can get. The kids think they are better than candy, and that says a lot. We had some off-season rain and concerns that it would cause the Bings to crack, but luckily all the fruit is in great shape. We will have fun picking the cherries for the next few days.
Ready to eat. The Vans have the lighter color.
While researching how to cultivate our Bings we ran across an interesting piece of history worth sharing. From Wikipedia:
The cultivar was created as a crossbred graft from the Republican cherry in 1875 by Oregon horticulturist Seth Lewelling and hisManchurian Chinese foreman Ah Bing, for whom the cultivar is named.
Ah Bing was reportedly born in China and immigrated to the U.S. in about 1855. He worked as a foreman in the Lewelling family fruit orchards in Milwaukie for about 35 years, supervising other workers and caring for trees. He went back to China in 1889 for a visit. Due to the restrictions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 he never returned to the United States. Sources disagree as to whether Ah Bing was responsible for developing the cultivar, or whether it was developed by Lewelling and named in Bing’s honor due to his long service as orchard foreman.
It seems a little bittersweet to us that Ah Bing was not allowed to return to the US. And regardless of who crossbred the cherry, it gives us a smile that Ah Bing’s work in the orchard survives and is enjoyed every summer.
Eat out of hand, or make a cocktail. Cherry-lime Caipirinha, pretty good.
Once we got the cherries in the house, they got a quick clean and rinse. We laid them out on the counter and ate quite a few. The kids enjoyed them and I even made a cherry-lime Caipirinha. Yum. For the next few days we will be enjoying the cherries in baked goods, perhaps ice cream, drinks and even a savory dish or two. Recipes soon.
Putney Farm 
I have a fantastic cherry tree in my garden. But it is really old and tall and the cherries are so high up, I can’t get near them. Very frustrating!
That would be torture. There are long pickers you can buy for fruit like apples and cherries…
I bought one, but it wasn’t long enough. I may have to make another trip to the hardware shop, they look soooo gooood!
Oh that’s rough. Good luck!
How beautiful. I’m craving fresh cherries!
Thanks for reading..
They look gorgeous! Have fun using/eating them!!
Thanks!
Those look incredible! There’s something magical about eating food that you’ve grown yourself! Enjoy!
Thanks- it is very rewarding (and the cherries taste great).
Beautiful! I cannot wait to harvest our cherry trees in July!
Thanks for sharing your cherry harvest…so exciting! I have cherry envy. 😉
These are so beautiful!
Those berries …. make my mouth water … stunning photo .. can feel how sweet they are. Thanks for stopping by at my world and welcome back.
Thanks…enjoying your posts and humor..
Thank you so much !!! Landed straight into my software.
The photos of your harvest look wonderful! I have happy memories as a kid eating cherries,when they were in season, I would ask my mum for a small bag, she always said yes – there was no way I could ask for sweets but cherries, that was a yes!
Exactly! Our eldest has figured it out and he gets plenty of blueberries and cherries..
I want that drink right now!
Thanks! Easy to make- will post recipe soon…
Your cherry harvest looks terrific. I bet there are a few red stains lingering in the kitchen.
There are a few- and the cutting board is getting pink…
Thanks for reading!
I’m unfamiliar with Vans or the Tartarians, but the colors are gorgeous! I suspect they stay more local to your area? I love cherries. Such a short season and expensive and worth it! I can’t imagine having my own orchard! Debra
Not so much an issue of “local” but weather, I guess. If you have the right # of “chill days” it determines what variety will or will not produce fruit. A local garden supply or website helps figure what will work. Then you need a pollinator and a fruit tree…and then the weather still has to cooperate.
Last year 3 cherries. This year 500. You never know…
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Oh, those are so lovely! I wish I could pluck one and eat it right now. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for reading! We harvest another batch tomorrow morning!
Are you going to make any boozy cherries to preserve for winter cocktails?
Funny, just read a post on that- we will have to do it. We are up to our eyeballs in bing cherries.
We have been adding cherry juice to a few of our citrus cocktails like Pegu Clubs and Aviations. The juice sinks and adds a lovely red base to drinks. Tastes good, too..;-)