When Do Cherries Turn Red?

When do cherries turn red? You may have seen these remarkable trees with their soft pink flowers that bloom in the springtime. Shortly after this, however, those flowers are replaced by the iconic fruit that has dazzled the minds of so many.

To put it simply, certain cherries turn red as they ripen. Note that we say “certain” and not “all” -- because the little red gems that most people imagine when they envision a cherry are only a small fragment of the cherry color spectrum.

Varieties

When do cherries turn red? Only for a moment, in the case of black cherries. When a black cherry is ready for harvest, it will be red for a moment, but will darken into a near-black hue.

When do cherries turn red? Not ever in the case of Rainier cherries, which hold a multicolor gradient of yellow, orange, and red. They’re harvested primarily in late June to early July.

There are twenty-eight main varieties of cherry, each with its own take on color and taste. But roughly, there tends to be between 55-90 days between bloom to harvest.

It’s All in the Harvest

Harvest tends to start in early June when the fruit is closest to its ideal color. Two weeks in advance, their maturity will be tested, taking into account their firmness and starch content, along with taste and color.

It’s all a matter of timing. A single, standard cherry tree will house up to 50 quarts of cherries a year. That amounts to roughly fifty cherry pies from a single tree!

In the last few days, the color deepens and the sugar in a ripening cherry spikes, so many growers aim to stick as close as possible to the beginning of summer to get the best out of their crop.

Cherries are a gamble, but their flavor makes it all worthwhile!