Cherry Picking in the Okanagan

| Tips for picking cherries and other fruit | 

Do you even live in the Okanagan if you have never gone fruit picking? In case you didn’t know, the Okanagan is famous for cherries, peaches and apples and our visitor centres usually start getting calls around March/April to see if the cherries are ready for picking.

Cherries aren’t available until July and I am thinking that people believe they are ready earlier because the pink cherry blossoms come out in March in Vancouver. Here is a bit of a spoiler alert, but fruit cherry blossoms are white and are different from the pink blossoms that line many streets.

The stunning pink fruit blossoms come out in April and they are actually apricot and peach blossoms! In the Okanagan, apricots are usually ready for harvest mid-July – mid-August with the juicy peaches ready mid-July to the beginning of September.

If you are looking to create some memories and pick some Okanagan fruit we have a few suggestions for you.

• Call ahead to the fruit stand or orchard you plan on visiting to make sure they have fruit available the day you want to pick. The fruit will ripen at different times, so they may have cherries available one day, but not the next, as they haven’t quite ripened yet.
• Go in the morning to pick your fruit at the orchard, as if it is a popular place, they may run out of available fruit that day.
• Stick to the area of the orchard that they direct you to, this is because this is the area where the fruit is not only ready for picking, but they may be doing work in the other areas of the orchard.
• Be aware, that the orchards are working farms, this means there are tractors, ladders, and irrigation hoses, so be aware of your surroundings at all times.
• Do not wear heels, orchards have uneven ground, holes in the ground, etc and the last thing one wants is a sprained ankle!
• Be gentle with the trees and fruit. If you don’t pick properly you will be damaging the tree which may impede future growth on that branch.
• Leave the pets at home.

Tips for picking cherries: They do not ripen once picked, so only look for fruit that is deep red in colour. Harvest them with the stem attached. Twist the top of the stem as you pull down, this will protect the bud for future harvests

Tips for picking peaches: It is ready to be picked when it has a slight give with you press it and no longer has a greenish hint to it, grab the peach and pull it straight off the branch and gently place it into your container. You can slow down the ripening of the peaches by a few days by storing them in your refrigerator. Be sure to ask if they are freestone or clingstone. Clingstone is better for eating as it is not as hard to get the fruit away from the pit.

Tips for picking apples: Know your varieties – some are better for cooking and the different varieties ripen at different times. Apples on the outside branches ripen first. Once you pick an apple it stops ripening. Roll the apple upwards off the branch and give it a little twist. If it does not come off easily, it means it is not quite ripe.

Final tip – have fun, create some memories and take lots of photos!