Cherries...red, juicy and delicious. Surely you've eaten a slice of cherry pie, a chocolate-covered cherry or maybe even that bright red maraschino cherry on top of a banana split!
Cherries are extraordinary, not only because of their taste but their nutritional value is equal to and often higher than that of many other fruits. They are especially high in potassium and Vitamin C, and low in fat and sodium.
Did you know that Michigan produces 70 to 75 percent of the tart cherries grown in the United States? That makes Michigan the nation's number one cherry producing state. Other states that grow tart cherries include Utah, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington.
The Many Varieties of Cherries
Just as there are different kinds of apples, there are different kinds of cherries. The most popular variety of tart cherry grown in the United States is the Montmorency. This fruit is excellent for pies, preserves, jellies, juice, and other products. Tart cherries are seldom sold fresh. They are usually canned or frozen shortly after harvesting for use in many different kinds of products throughout the year.
Sweet cherries are primarily grown in the Pacific Coast States, but Michigan is in the top four of the nation's producers. Michigan cherry growers harvest about 20 percent of the nation's sweet cherry crop each year.
Sweet cherry varieties grown in Michigan include Emperor Francis, Napoleon and Schmidt, and most of Michigan's sweet cherries are processed. Many of them are used for maraschino cherries.
Both tart cherries and sweet cherries ripen in July, and peak harvest time is usually the third week of July. Most tart cherries are mechanically harvested, using a shaker to drop the fruit onto canvasses where they are placed in tanks of water. Sweet cherries that are to be marketed fresh are picked by hand.
For More Information
Cherry Recipes
Printer Friendly
Text Version 
Email Page
