Cherries are exceptionally early ripe this year. Where normally the first cherries are picked at the end of July, Mierlose Zwarte (black) cherries are already being sold in abundance. “In recent years it was a bit earlier and this year certainly.”
On his property, cherry grower Jos Huijbers points to a row of trees where the first cherries are already being picked. “We have to remove the black ones here. They are not yet ripe and not tasty enough. Other than that, everything is ready. That is because this row gets a lot of extra light. They are ready to be picked and that is extremely early.”
Sunny spring
The early harvest is mainly due to the sunny spring. “They have had a lot of sunlight and that is why the cherries are extra sweet this year.”
The grower emphasises that he has to take extra protective measures. “Plastic protects the cherries from birds and from rain. Because if it rains and those cherries hang wet for days, they burst open. Then it becomes cherry juice.” He also uses mesh as well as two pesticides to keep the dreaded Suzuki fruit fly away.
Beloved variety
The Mierlose Zwarte is an old and beloved variety in the region. Everyone wants them for the so-called kersenstruif (Dutch cherry pancakes). “They are great, but on pancakes they are even better. Once you have had that, you don’t want anything else.”
Huijbers now has 900 trees with Mierlose Zwarte. “Over the years, we have been planting more and more of them.” According to him, the black cherries can stay on the tree for a very long time. “They keep getting bigger and sweeter.”
Impatience
His wife Lidy already noticed that people were getting a bit impatient. “For weeks, people have been calling or coming into the store to ask: ‘Are they here yet?’ They are extremely early this year, so I was surprised that people have been knocking on the door for weeks. It has never been such an early cherry year.”
The Mierlose Zwarte is an indigenous variety. “They stay good on the trees for a long time.” They are quite soft cherries that, once picked, do not keep for long. “But they are usually gone before they can spoil.”
They can continue picking for the next four weeks, after which it is time for other cherry varieties.
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez, edited by Greta
