It is full on cherry season in The Netherlands and I’m loving it! Also, I like stumbling on hidden gems by chance. And that is exactly what happened last weekend. Let’s call it a very (or cherry) happy coincidence.

We were driving to the monumental Kasteel de Haar in the Utrecht province for a lovely picknick with a view on the oldest Dutch castle in the Netherlands, but were re-routed by Google Maps to take a more scenic route. We were not sure why it did that, but thanks to the re-routing we drove amidst lots of farmland. When I saw a huge sign with KERSEN (cherries in Dutch) every nerve in my body told me I have to stop and I happily obeyed, saying (ok – shouting): STOP, LET’S CHECK IT OUT!

And that’s how I met the cherries of the Oosterom family for the first time.

At a glance 

• Location: Harmelen (province of Utrecht)
• Price: cherries are 10 euro per kilo (but so worth it)
• Rating: 9/10

Cherry season

Now, let’s talk about cherries first. Depending on the weather in the months March, April and May, the cherry season in The Netherlands start the beginning, mid or end of June and ends at the end of August. The warmer the temperature in the spring, the earlier the cherries are ripe. I have been told that this year’s cherry season started in the second week of June.

Background Oosterom family

The Oosterom family have been growing cherries for over 50 years. According to their website (linked below) ‘de kersen van Oosterom’ are therefore a household name in the region (province of Utrecht). The family has a farm store in Harmelen and three cherry orchards in Haarzuilens, Bunnik and Montfoort. They grow as many as 38 varieties of cherries, each with its own taste.

The family pollinates the cherries in a natural way: they use bees! The hives with bee colonies stand side by side in the cherry orchard during the flowering period. The byproduct of the bee method (honey) is also sold in their stores.

The farm store ‘de Ooievaar’ (the Stork) in Harmelen

The huge sign with “KERSEN” is definitely eye-catching. When you walk towards the store, a long line of fresh cherries, strawberries and other forest fruits welcomes you.

Beside the fruits, the family also makes various products from their cherries and strawberries such as jam, different juices (incl. pure cherry juice), dessert sauces and cherry beers and cider.

In addition, the family also sells products from fellow entrepreneurs in the region to offer the customer a wider range, such as cheese, beef and soft fruit.

And last but not least, they also sell ice cream.

Beside the store, they also have a bar / café including terrace attached serving drinks and foods.

The cherries

We bought a kilo of cherries for our picknick at Kasteel de Haar to try. And guess what?

Ok, ok – I don’t say this easily, but these were def one the best cherries I have had in as long as I can remember. The cherries were huge, but juicy, had a bite, but still soft, and were the right amount of tart. I couldn’t stop eating them and wished I bought another kilo.

And I wish I bought some cherry beer to try!

Staff

The boss lady (owner) assisted us in the store. She was very nice and you can tell she has a lot of knowledge about cherries. She explained that it was not necessary to wash their cherries first as the pollination happens the natural way (thanks to our bee friends).

Final verdict 

9/10. The cherries are on the pricey side (10 euro per kilo) compared to the supermarket (around 6-7 euro per kilo). However, the quality is top notch (way better than the supermarket ones) and it is really one of the best cherries I ever had. I am so keen to try out other types of cherries of the Oosterom family. Highly recommend and I will def visit the farm store (or any other stand / orchard) of the Oosterom family again.

Information

Address: Breudijk 56B, Harmelen (The Netherlands)

Website: https://www.oosterom-kersen.nl

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