Cherries: The Cherry Man

Franz Josef Herbst, a cherry farmer in the Franconian Switzerland region of Bavaria, passionately explains the nuances between different cherry varieties, both for eating fresh and for preserving.

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If I were a young man and wanted to make a woman happy, I would give her this.

Herbst, whose family has cultivated cherries for generations, describes his deep connection to the fruit. He jokes that if he were a young man trying to impress a woman, he would gift her cherries. He recounts how his father ate cherries with the pits to consume them faster, a habit he seems to have inherited. His own baking journey began with Black Forest cherry cake, a personal favorite to this day.

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The region in northern Bavaria has more than 200,000 cherry trees, making it one of the largest growing areas in Europe.

His experience also includes cherry picking during a work-and-travel stint in Australia. Now, he finds more joy in a cherry-laden branch from his own trees than in a bouquet of flowers. The Franconian Switzerland area, with over 200,000 cherry trees, is recognized as one of Europe's most significant cherry-growing regions, transforming into a picturesque landscape during the spring bloom.

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The first cake I learned to bake was Black Forest cherry cake: my favorite cake to this day.