Cherries ripe for the picking at south-west orchard

With November drawing to a close, cherries are finally back in season and Koroit Cherry Farm is looking to capitalise on the fruit's short harvest.

Orchard owner Neville Guthridge said the harvest had been the best he'd seen since purchasing the property in 2020.

"The cherries are good, there's not much damage to them, most of the fruits are in perfect condition," he told The Standard.

This comes after the farm suffered a weak 2022 season that saw most of the cherries wasted.

"Last year was a disaster. We had wet, cold weather and it didn't suit stone fruits at all," Mr Guthridge said.

But it seems as though luck has turned for the orchard, with positive signs at this early stage of the season.

Orchard manager Jordan O'Keefe attributed this to solid weather heading into December.

"It'd be better to get a little bit more sunshine, a little bit more warmth because that will help them ripen up," he said.

Mr O'Keefe, who has worked at the farm since mid-2023, was particularly proud of the 16 different varieties of cherry on offer.

"Some will ripen to a very deep, dark red, almost black. Where some others will ripen to more of a yellowy-orange," he said.

"They all have different flavours, some will be really sweet, some will be a bit more tart."

Mr Guthridge said the cherries would be ripe until the first week of January 2024 at the very latest.