Shehecheyanu is recited when eating the fruit of a season for the first time. This applies even to species that fruit twice per year. However, it does not apply to fruits that are widely available year-round (even if they technically grow in seasons).
Multiple varieties of the same species (e.g. white peach and yellow peach) are deemed separate, and one recites a separate Shehecheyanu when eating them on separate occasions.
When eating several types of new fruit at once, one Shehecheyanu suffices for all.
When multiple types of fruit are present at the time of the Brocho, and one intends to eat more than one type of fruit:
- If one doesn’t have a personal preference, the Brocho should be recited on the Shivas Haminim, which takes precedence to other fruits – even if the Shivas Haminim are cut and the other fruits are whole. When several of the Shivas Haminim are present, the order of precedence is olives, dates, grapes, figs, pomegranates. When none of the Shivas Haminim are present, one may recite the Brocho on any fruit, with whole fruits taking precedence to cut fruits.
- If one has a personal preference, he should recite the Brocho on the fruit he likes most. [This refers both to a fruit that one usually prefers, or to a fruit that one prefers right now. If one equally likes more than one type of fruit, he may recite the Brocho on either.] There are two exceptions: 1) If the fruit he likes is cut, it is best to recite the Brocho on another fruit that is whole (unless the cut fruit that he likes is of the Shivas Haminim). 2) If the fruit he likes is not one of the Shivas Haminim, but one of the Shivas Haminim is present and he intends to eat it too, he may recite the Brocho on either of the two.
Fruits subject to infestation must be checked prior to making the Brocho.
When eating the Shivas Haminim, one should remember to recite the special Brocha Acharona of Al Ha’etz. For all other fruits, one recites Bore Nefashos. [When eating both Shivas Haminim as well as other fruits, the special Brocha Acharona of Al Ha’etz suffices for all the fruits.]
