The History of Cherries
Cherries have pleased the palates of food lovers for centuries. Their
ruby-red color and tangy taste won cherries a place on the tables of
Roman conquerors, Greek citizens and Chinese noblemen. Cherries were
brought to America by ship with early settlers in the 1600s.
Later, French colonists from Normandy brought pits that they planted
along the Saint Lawrence River and on down into the Great Lakes area.
Cherry trees were part of the gardens of French settlers as they established
such cities as Detroit, Vincennes, and other midwestern settlements.
Modern day cherry production began in the mid-1800s. Peter Dougherty
was a Presbyterian missionary living in northern Michigan. In 1852,
he planted cherry trees on Old Mission Peninsula (near Traverse City,
Michigan). Much to the surprise of the other farmers and Indians who
lived in the area, Dougherty's cherry trees flourished and soon other
residents of the area planted trees. The area proved to be ideal for
growing cherries because Lake Michigan tempers Arctic winds in winter
and cools the orchards in summer.
The first commercial tart cherry orchards in Michigan were planted
in 1893 on Ridgewood Farm near the site of Dougherty's original plantings.
By the early 1900s, the tart cherry industry was firmly established
in the state with orchards not only in the Traverse City area, but all
along Lake Michigan from Benton Harbor to Elk Rapids. Soon production
surpassed other major crops. The first cherry processing facility, Traverse
City Canning Company, was built just south of Traverse City, and the
ruby-red fruit was soon shipped to Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee.
The Montmorency is the primary variety of tart cherry. It was planted
in the early orchards and is still used today. The fruit is excellent
for pies, preserves and juice. The newest American variety of tart cherry
is the Balaton. Dr. Amy Iezzoni developed this cherry variety at Michigan
State University. It currently has limited production, but has great
potential for the fresh market and for juice.
In the Northwestern part of the United States, cherry orchards also
flourished. In 1847, Henderson Lewelling planted an orchard in western
Oregon, using nursery stock that he had transported by ox cart from
Iowa. Lewelling Farms became known for its sweet cherries with orchards
coming into production during the 1870s and 80s.
The most famous sweet cherry variety is the Bing cherry; this cherry
variety got its name from one of Lewelling's Chinese workmen. Another
sweet cherry variety is the Lambert, which also got its start on Lewelling
Farms. The Rainier cherry, a light sweet variety, originated from the
cross breeding of the Bing and Van varieties by Dr. Harold W. Fogle
at the Washington State University Research Station in Prosser, Washington.
The Bing, Lambert and Rainier varieties together account for more than
95 percent of the Northwest sweet cherry production.
Maraschino cherries, the kind most often used in drinks and on ice
cream sundaes, are made from sweet cherries. The maraschino cherry originated
in Yugoslavia and northern Italy where merchants added a liqueur to
a local cherry called the "Marasca." This cherry product was
imported to the United States in the 1890s as a delicacy to be used
in the country's finest restaurants and hotels. In 1896 U.S. cherry
processors began experimenting, using a domestic sweet cherry called
the Royal Anne. Less liqueur was used in processing and almond oil was
substituted for some of the liqueur. Finally, the liqueur was eliminated
altogether. By 1920, the American maraschino cherry was so popular that
it had replaced the foreign variety in the United States.
Today, the U. S. cherry industry produces more than 650 million pounds
of tart and sweet cherries each year. Much of the cherry production
is concentrated in Michigan and the Northwest. Michigan grows about
75 percent of the tart cherry crop. Oregon and Washington harvest about
60 percent of the sweet cherry crop. Other states with commercial cherry
crops are Utah, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and California.
The ultimate celebration of cherries is the National Cherry Festival.
It's held every year in July in the "Cherry Capital of the World"-Traverse
City, Michigan. This festival originated from a spring ceremony known
as the "Blessing of the Blossoms." Thousands of visitors come
from all over the world to celebrate the harvest and, of course, eat
cherries.
Story provided by: Cherry Marketing Institute, Inc.
www.cherryfestival.org
Recipes
Cherry Chicken Salad
2 cups pitted fresh sweet cherries
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
Creamy ginger dressing
Lettuce
Combine all ingredients except lettuce; toss gently until well-mixed.
Serve on individual lettuce-lined salad plates. Makes 4 servings.
Creamy Ginger Dressing
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Combine ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to mix with salad. Makes
about 1/2 cup.
