Article by Gil "hannaone"
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Cherries Image by hannaone
Weight information obtained from USDA food database

Before arriving in America with early settlers in the 1600s, cherries had a rich history dating back hundreds of years. They were appreciated by Roman conquerors, Greek citizens, and Chinese noblemen.

Anatolia, or Asia Minor, a vast peninsula in Western Asia, is where sweet cherries are said to have originated. These fruits were discovered in the well-nourished regions between the Black and Caspian seas and are believed to have been brought to Europe by birds. The Greeks were responsible for the initial cultivation of cherries, while the Romans further developed and extended their growth. It was in Theophrastus's book, History of Plants, written around the 3rd Century B.C., that cherries were first mentioned. Theophrastus was a renowned botanist and a student of Aristotle.

English colonists brought cherries to the United States in 16291, but it wasn't until the mid-1800s that modern-day cherries began to be produced.

Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary, planted tart cherries in orchards on Old Mission Peninsula in 1852. On Ridgewood Farm, which is not too far from Dougherty's original planting site, the first commercial cherry orchards were planted. As a result of Lake Michigan, this area of America proved to be ideal for growing cherries.

There were also sweet cherry orchards started in the 1800s, primarily in the northwestern part of the country. The orchard at Lewellings Farm was planted by Henderson Lewellings in western Oregon in 1847 using nursery stock he had transported by ox cart from Iowa. Sweet cherries were produced there.

Cherries should be semi soft to firm, with stems attached, no bruising, cuts, or soft spots

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