When should I harvest sour cherries?
When should I harvest sour cherries?
Sour or pie cherries should be harvested when the fruit are full-flavored, somewhat soft, and juicy. (Cherries picked before they are mature will not ripen off the tree.) For immediate use, the cherries can be picked without the stems attached to the fruit. However, quality is best retained during storage if the fruit are harvested with the stems attached. Refrigerate cherries at 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Horticulture and Home Pest News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on . The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.