Cherry Season in Saxony: Pick Your Own and Save Money

People in Saxony can currently look forward to cherries from the region—the season has begun. “We’re expecting an average harvest,” said Carmen Stefanie Kaps, managing director of the Fruit Growers’ Association of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. She anticipates a yield of about 400 metric tons of sweet cherries and 1,300 metric tons of sour cherries.

In Saxony, sweet cherries are grown on 100 hectares and sour cherries on about 230 hectares. Along with strawberries, cherries are among the most popular harbingers of summer. It doesn’t matter whether they’re fresh from the tree, eaten as a snack, used in cakes, or preserved, as Kaps explained. 

Snacking is allowed for pick-your-own visitors

Sweet cherries are especially tasty right now when bought directly from the grower. Across the state, there are several farms that offer the fruit in farm stands or for pick-your-own. “Snacking is allowed, of course. After all, you have to figure out which variety you like best. You just shouldn’t necessarily eat until you’re full,” said Kaps.

Prices between four and five euros per pound

Consumer prices this season are roughly in line with those of last year. In direct sales, such as at farm stands, customers pay between four and five euros; those who pick their own usually pay a little less. While 80 percent of sweet cherries are sold fresh, the figures indicate that the opposite is true for sour cherries. Here, the majority is processed further.