Most people are not aware that there are many different varieties of cherry, each with their own charactaristic flavour, feel and look. Below are the five varieties available for hire along with their respective approximate picking period.
The varieties we have selected as ideal rental trees all crop well, produce large cherries with dark skin and flesh. Typically these varieties are the best flavoured and have quite reliable crop yields.
Varieties Available to Rent
Merchant
Typical ripening period: Late November - Early December
Characteristic: Early season cherry, good sized fruit, typically crop well, very good flavour. Very popular variety in suburban back yards.
Van
Typical ripening period: Early to mid December
Characteristic: A mid season cherry, van are a very firm crisp cherry with a rich flavour. Usually crops quite well, they have dark shiny skin when ripe and will even have a pleasant flavour before fully ripe. Popular for preserving because of their crispness.
Simone
Typical ripening period: Mid December through to 25th December.
Characteristic: Mid to late season cherry which typically crops really well. Pleasant flavour, large dark fruit. Close relative to Lapins and as such share similar characteristics.
Lapins
Typical ripening period: 20th December through to around 5th January.
Characteristics: Large and dark with a lighter red flesh, firm and bright in appearance. Very good split resistance, crop later in the season. Very similar to Simone variety, and like Simone Lapins generally crop really well.
Sweet Georgia
Typical ripening period: 25th December through to mid January.
Characteristics: Large dark cherry, fairly firm and very pleasant flavour. Generally crops quite well.