Harvesting sea buckthorn: this is how it works! When is the best time

Sea buckthorn is one of the vitamin bombs among the local berries and presents itself every year with golden yellow fruits, which are enjoyed by humans and birds alike. Thanks to numerous ingredients and a lot of vitamin C, they are extremely popular, but harvesting the fruits is extremely difficult and often leads to frustration because they are so soft. The time within the harvest time and the harvesting method are important for harvesting.

Best time to harvest

Before you can start harvesting, the first thing you need to know is when sea buckthorn berries are ripe and suitable for consumption. Hippophae rhamnoides is an olive plant whose original home is in Nepal and is still preferred in Germany in the Alpine foothills. The harvest time, which typically begins in September and lasts until the end of October, is particularly important. However, this can be influenced by several points.

• Variety: Varieties such as 'Hergo' and 'Sirola' ripen early and present their berries as early as mid-August
• Location: the more optimal the location, the earlier the harvest season begins

It is possible to let sea buckthorn ripen into January, but this depends on the health of the plant and the weather conditions. Possible consequences of too long ripening are a rancid taste and fermentation of the fruit, which also makes them inedible. Use the following points as a guide to determine the right time to harvest so that the sea buckthorn berries are definitely ripe.

• try one of the berries
• if its taste is bland or sour, it is not yet ripe enough
• the taste should be tart and fruity
• the color should be golden yellow or orange
• the surface should be glassy
• they become noticeably softer
• if they are crushed, they give off a bewitching aroma, characteristic of sea buckthorn

You can use these points to easily determine the right time to harvest, even if you should be careful not to damage your thorns while trying.

Tip: Do not allow yourself too much time with the time of harvest, because at the beginning of the harvest season, birds of all kinds become aware of the sea buckthorn berries. These then flock to the bushes in large flocks and are happy about the vitamin-rich food they have found.

To harvest

Harvesting sea buckthorn is often a bit difficult. This is mainly due to the defense mechanism of the plant and the nature of the berries. Short shoots are formed on the branches, which resemble thorns in shape and can easily penetrate the skin. The berries, on the other hand, become very soft as they ripen and inexperienced hands crush them quickly because they cannot be plucked easily. They are quite tight on the branches and require some strength, which often leads to crushing.

The following utensils are basic equipment for harvesting:

• working gloves
• long-sleeved clothing

These make it easier to pick the berries and help prevent injuries. The thorns may not look so bad, but the nature of the thorns makes them painful as they can penetrate deep into the flesh. Simply picking the berries as with raspberries or gooseberries is not possible. However, there are some methods that are suitable for harvesting and that are quite simple, but may require a little practice.

Harvest methods

Berry comb

The berry comb is nothing new to owners of a blueberry bush. This device is a shovel, which usually has a handy handle and has metal prongs. Due to their spacing, these are ideally suited for harvesting the berries when they are ripe.

Do the following with the berry comb:

• spread a large cloth under the sea buckthorn
• alternatively, you can use a large container that fits under many of the branches
• now take the berry comb to hand
• carefully bend one of the branches vertically downwards
• now run the berry comb along the branch
• the berries are now gently peeled off and fall into the container or onto the cloth
• continue until all berries have been harvested

The cost of a berry comb is between 10 and 20 euros, depending on the model and design.

Knock off

Chopping off is a classic method from the Mediterranean region, which is mainly used for olives. This method may only be used if there has already been frost, so that the berries are slightly frosted and not damaged as a result. Don't worry, the frost won't harm sea buckthorn. For this, choose a large stick, for example a broomstick, and then proceed as follows.

• Again spread a container under the branches
• now start hitting the fruit shoots with the stick
• do this until all of the berries have loosened

Stripping

Stripping is a classic method that is used on the Baltic Sea and its islands. It is used either very early in or very late in the harvest season. The reason for this is the leaves that fall off in autumn and could otherwise end up in the berries. To do this, simply choose a thick pair of rubber gloves and grab the branch where it starts. Now carefully wipe it off, but with sufficient force, preferably in a bucket.

Cut off and freeze

This is a very new method in which the berries are frozen and then shaken off afterwards. To do this, simply cut off whole fruit shoots and place them in the freezer for some time until they are completely frozen. After the sea buckthorn berries are frozen, simply shake them over a container with a lot of force. They will then peel off and no berries will be crushed or damaged.