Harvesting the berries of the sea buckthorn is a difficult task for all those who do not know how to proceed. In contrast to most other berries, which are simply plucked from the bush, sea buckthorn berries should find their way into the kitchen or into the mouth differently…

Bloody hands, torn clothing and smudges

If you pick the ripe sea buckthorn berries from the bush with your bare hands, you can expect many disadvantages:

  • The berries may burst due to their ripeness.
  • The juice is lost through the bursting.
  • The hands are injured by the thorns.
  • Clothing can tear through the thorns.
  • The berry juice can hit the clothes and stain them.

And that's how it works better

Many gardeners have recognized the disadvantages and developed a solution to circumvent them. The industry is also oriented towards this and does not let its employees pick the berries with their bare hands…

How to do it: At harvest time, cut off the branches that bear fruit with garden shears. Now you have the option of drying the branches with the berries at home or freezing them and then stripping off the berries or scraping the fresh berries on the branches with a fork.

Varieties whose fruits are good for picking

There are sea buckthorn varieties that are still good for picking and do not have to be subject to the harvesting method already mentioned. At least they don't have burst berries… These include the following varieties:

  • Dorana
  • OrangeEnergy

The berries of these varieties are firmer than those of others and are less likely to burst when picked by hand. They also have longer fruit stalks from which the berries easily detach.

tips and tricks

Don't pick the berries too late. With increasing ripeness or towards overripeness - between winter and spring - the fruits fade and lose their taste.

Category:

Vegetable garden