Where did cherries start?
Cherries are native to the temperate areas of eastern Asia
Minor, in the fertile area between the Black and Caspian Seas, and
were probably carried to Europe by birds. Cherry cultivation dates
back to 300 BC, making them one of the world's oldest cultivated
fruits, along with their cousins, apricots.
Cultivation of sweet cherries likely began with Greeks, and
later Romans, who valued the tree's timber as well as its fruit.
Their name comes originally from the Greek kerasos, which in turn
derives from the Assyrian karsu. The Latin name means "fruit of the
birds." Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese loved cherry
trees for their beautiful flowers and their versatile fruit.
Although a different species of cherry was already strongly
established in America by the time the first colonists arrived,
sweet cherries came to America in 1629 with English colonists, and
later to California with Spanish missionaries. 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
Detroit, Vincennes, and other mid-western settlements. Eventually
the European varieties were cross-bred with the American
varieties.
Modern-day cherry production began in the mid-19th century. 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 during the
1870s and 1880s. The most famous sweet cherry variety is the Bing
cherry, which developed by Lewelling in 1875 and named for one of
the orchard's Manchurian foreman. The most popular variety is the
Bing cherry, which was developed by Seth Luelling od Milwaukie,
Oregon in 1875. Another sweet cherry variety, the Lambert, 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% of the
Northwest sweet cherry production. There are now thousands of
varieties of cherries and most are still picked by hand.
Today, 90 percent of the commercial cherry crop is grown in the
US, mostly in Michigan, Oregon and Washington. Michigan grows about
75% of the tart cherry crop. Oregon and Washington harvest about
60% of the sweet cherry crop. Other states with commercial cherry
crops are Utah, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, and
California.