Cherry Pie Anyone?
09 December 2025 / Words by Jo Blackburn. Photos by Jo Blackburn, Lili Chi
Tart, sweet, juicy, red
Joyful taste of happiness
The cherry behold
Summer is finally here so to the Cherry Orchard we must go. It's Monday morning, after the weekend Cherry festival. The great unknown - will there be any cherries left for us?
Us is 20 people in 13 beautiful MX-5s with a definite preponderance of red ones. Check out the pictures!
Why isn't there a cherry red in the MX-5 palette?
As there is a lot of pre-Xmas roadworks in the region this was a cruiser run taking the main roads from Canberra to Yass through Harden to the Orchard just outside Young.
We have been visiting Rupert and his orchard for several years. It is exclusively a pick your own orchard. You want cherries - you work for them. And you can eat as many as you like. Although Rupert has a tin on the cash register if you feel like making a donation for the ones you ate.
At this time of the year, we are picking lovely dark luscious Rons cherries. The Rons cherry was apparently developed by Sid Thornell, a fruit inspector in the Department of Agriculture based in Young and he named it after his son, Ron. I ended up with 4.7kg. There were some smaller pickings and some much bigger ones. I'm sure they will all be enjoyed by family and friends. At $10 a kilo, and fresh off the tree, definitely a bargain.
By noon, it's hot, Cherry pies and cherry jam have been purchased, large cherry ice cream cones have been eaten and it's time for lunch.
A short drive back to Murrumburrah to a place that is becoming a favourite. At Barnes Emporium you can enjoy excellent pies, and wraps and sandwiches, and homemade cakes in a large room with plenty of space for our group. On your way out you can acquire homemade chocolates, farm fresh eggs, flavoured salts and oils, and spices. The owners of the Emporium are easy to deal with for group bookings and very Welcoming. Our table today was beautifully dressed as if we were having a Xmas celebration.
And now, nothing to be done except get these cherries home.
Run Organiser Mike Lawless
Run Leader – Jo Blackburn
