 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Grow your own cherries | |
In the Highveld region sunny winters create sunburn, and ultimately, bacterial canker problems. This can be prevented by choosing a site with afternoon shade, created by a wall, larger trees etc. If this is not possible, tripod shadenet structures can be placed on the north-west side of each tree. These are made with three small poles and 50% shade net, 1,5m high. The structures can initially be close to each tree, and moved further away as branching begins. Space trees about 3-5m in the row, by 5-6m between rows. Mix varieties for cross-pollination. Have a pollinator every 2nd to every 5th tree. Dig big holes, at least 0,5 x 0,5m. Loosen bottom and sides of hole with fork. Mix soil from hole with equal amount of compost, and incorporate bone meal (or supersulphate) and potassium. Do not apply any nitrogen.
During the growing season
kraal manure can be placed loosely around the hole which will release
nutrients downwards slowly throughout the rainy season. Plant the tree
with about 10cm of rootstock above the soil level. The soil being thrown
back in the hole should be loose, free of clods, and well mixed with
compost.
Quite a lot of soil will have to be thrown in before the tree
is placed, to elevate it to the correct depth. Water well, and cover
with loose soil, to prevent crusting and cracking, 2 days after watering.
A mulch, of grass, compost or any plant material around the hole must
be applied at this stage.
During the winter moisture is retained well
in the soil – just make sure it is moist. In spring and summer,
water according to rainfall patterns, as you would the rest of your
garden. With the use of manure, it is not necessary to fertilise at
all. Manure, as a dressing around the hole will ensure sufficient nutrient
supply, applied only in the summer months.
Head trees back to 650mm from ground after planting. Use a bamboo stake to support. Make sure the stake is not up against the tree, and tie with a loose stocking or stretch tape so as not to ring-bark the stem. During the growing season, select 2-3 leader branches which will grow upwards.
Remove all lower branches. In the second year, lateral branches
will develop on the leaders. Ensure these do not become stronger than
the leaders by cutting back in the summer when they look threatening.
Only control ones that become strong.
Usually a cluster of branches
develops at the tips of the leaders. These must be cut back, leaving
only the strongest single upright branch. The lateral branches on the
leaders will in time develop spurs, which bear fruit
Very little spraying is necessary. Copper Oxychloride must be sprayed on the entire tree, including the stem, at 75% leaf drop (May), mid winter (July), and at budswell (Aug). Mix 500g per 100 litres of water. This is a preventative measure for bacterial canker (Pseudomonas). Do not spray this on green leaves, only on dormant trees.
Cherry slugs
appear on leaves in the summer. These are insect larvae, not real slugs.
Spray when seen with a pyrethroid or chlorpyrifos. Scale insects can
be controlled with endosulfan or mineral oil in the dormant season.
Red spider mite in the late summer can be controlled with amitraz. Depending
on your area, specific pests may occur.
Beetles are easily removed by
hand, rather than spraying. Contact your supplier for advice on symptoms
one feels vague about. Cherries have fewer problems with mildews than
apples.
Bing is a mid-season dark red cultivar, ripening about the middle of November. It is well pollinated by Van and Sweet Ann. These are also dark red varieties, ripening at the same time as Bing.
|
||
| The story of glazed cherries | ||
 |
When one thinks of Ficksburg, one thinks mostly of cherries, asparagus and sandstone mountains. Very few people know, however, that all of South Africa’s glazed cherries are produced in Ficksburg. This product is one of Ficksburg’s best kept secrets. Not even most residents of Ficksburg are aware that South Africa’s whole production of glazed cherries comes from this quaint town.
Glazed cherries are traditionally produced from yellow cherries, with
Napoleon and Emperor Francis being the varieties used. These cherries
have to be picked when they are a straw coloured yellow to produce a
perfect glazed cherry. If they start turning red they must be bleached
or they will have blemishes once they are glazed.
Red table varieties may be used to make glazed cherries. This happens when farmer’s table varieties cannot reach the market on time or if they have been damaged by hail. These cherries are bleached to rid them of blemishes.
Yellow cherries are divided into three categories: glazed, which account
for 600 tons for the South African Market; Maraschino: 300 tons; and
non-bleding cherries: 1200 tons.
Non-bleeding cherries are those which are used in canned mixed fruit.
Of the total 2100 tons of cherries required in this country, only 220
tons are produced in South Africa. The rest is imported from Italy.
The glazing process is very simple, but you need a lot of time. The cherries are stored in plastic drums in a solution of water, sodium metabysulphate, salt and chlorine for a minimum of six weeks. The solution is at a ph of 2.5. Cherries can be stored in this solution for up to five years.
Once the cherries are ready for glazing, they are hand-sorted before
they are graded into various sizes. They are mechanically de-pipped
by a special de-pipping machine imported from Canada. This is the only
known one in South Africa.
The cherries are put into a double-walled pot and kept at a temperature
of 90 deg C for five days. This process cooks out the sodium metabysulphate.
After the fifth day the temperature is reduced to 50 deg C for fourteen
days.
At this point the colourants and sugars are added. There are four types
of sugars used: lactose, sucrose, glucose and fructose. Once the cherries
have been cooked, they are cooled down and strained and the syrup bled
off. They then pass over a light-table to check that there are no pips
before they are packed. At this point each cherry has been hand-touched
nine times.
Brand names under which glazed cherries are sold are Trumps, Moirs,
Maluti and Sugarbird. The most popular colour is red, followed by green.
Although yellow glazed cherries are produced, they tend not to be popular.
The market experiences high sales volumes at Easter-time and then at the end of July for the build-up to Christmas.
Glazed cherries need no special storage facility and they will not crystallize
due to the process they have been put through. This gives them and indefinite
shelf life. |
|
|
|
||
