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| Cherries! | |||
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Michigan dominates the red tart cherry marketplace, producing about 75% of the U.S. crop. There are more than 30,000 acres of red tart cherries in the state with a total of about 37,000 acres nationwide. In addition, sweet cherry acreage accounts for 15,700 acres in Michigan; there are about 47,000 acres nationwide.These facts reflect Michigan's favorable soil and climatic conditions for growing cherries. The climate is unique because of its location on the east side of Lake Michigan. The lake has a moderating effect, which results in long, frost-free autumns and a delayed spring bloom period. Other states with commercial crops of cherries include utah, New York, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Oregon and Washington produce some tart cherries and substantial crops of sweet cherries. In Michigan, Leelanau County is No. 1 in the number of cherry trees & cherry acreage. Leelanau County has 26% of Michigan's Tart Cherry acreage, 48% of Michigan's sweet cherry acreage and 30% of all Michigan Cherry Trees. Leelanau County has 51% of Northwest Michigan's cherry acreage. In the nation, Leelanau County leads with the largest Cherry Acreage, with 12,250 acres in cherry production and 1,303,465 trees!! Both tart and sweet cherries ripen in July; the third week of July is usually the peak of the harvest. |
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Tart Cherries Sweet Cherries |
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Tart cherries, also known as sour cherries or pie cherries, are seldom sold fresh; they generally are canned or frozen shortly after harvesting for use in many different kinds of products throughout the year. Some of the primary cherry products consumers will find at supermarkets are cherry pie filling (both regular and lite), unsweetened canned tart cherries, unsweetened frozen tart cherries, dried tart cherries, tart cherry juice and cherry concentrate. Other popular cherry products in supermarkets are cherry jams and jellies, frozen cherry pies, cheesecakes and turnovers, assorted cherry-filled cookies and pastries, and many other products. The major variety of tart cherry grown in the United States is the Montmorency. In Michigan, tart cherries are grown from Benton Harbor to Elk Rapids with Traverse City (and the Grand Traverse Region) serving as the heart of cherry country. There are about 7,000 tart cherries on an average tree; that's enough cherries for about 28 pies. Nearly all red tart cherries are harvested with mechanical shakers. The cherries go from the trees directly into large tanks containing 48ºF water. These tanks hold 1,000 pounds of cherries. The fruit remains in the tanks for 6-8 hours, while being constantly flushed with cold water. The cherries are taken as quickly as possible to nearby processing facilities where the fruit is pitted and either canned or frozen. On average, Michigan produces 200 - 250 million pounds of tart cherries; total U.S. production averages 250-300 million pounds. Health Benefits!! According to research conducted at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center at Michigan State Unversity, tart cherries are bursting with health benefits from arthritis relief to sleep enhancement to cancer prevention, and more. * According to ongoing research, daily consumption of Montmorency tart cherries has the potential to reduce the pain associated with arthritis and gout. * There are 17 compounds in tart cherries iwth antioxidant prperties, which, in total, may help fight cancer and heart disease. * Tart cherries contain melatonin, a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant. The combination of melatonin and the other antioxidants in tart cherries may be the secret of the natral pain relief of cherries. * Tart cherries contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids, which may be 10 times stronger than asprin in relieving pain. |
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Sweet cherries primarily are grown in the Pacific Coast states, but Michigan joins the top four producers, harvesting about 17 percent of the crop each year. Sweet cherry varieties grown in Michigan include Emperor Francis, Napoleon and Schmidt. The Bing variety of sweet cherry is not grown in Michigan. The schmidt variety, however, is similar to the Bing variety. Most of Michigan's sweet cherries are processed; many of them are used for maraschino cherries. There are approximately 7,400 acres of bearing sweet cherries in Michigan. Eighty-five percent of Michigan sweet cherries are grown in Northwest Michigan. |
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| (photos courtesy of Cherry Marketing Institute) | |||
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This page last updated on 7/20/2006.