Washington's Favorite Cherry — Call of the Couve

Jun 17

Jun 17 Washington's Favorite Cherry

In 1952 Harold Fogle developed the Rainier Cherry named after Washington State's tallest mountain, Mount Rainier.

The mountain is a monster, topping out at 14,409 feet, the highest peak in the Cascade range. Though the cherry is minuscule in comparison, it packs a giant punch.

Until recently, I had always chosen to purchase deep red cherries, thinking that they surely must be the sweetest of all. I was wrong. Rainier cherries, with their gold, pink and red skins have some of the highest sugar content of all the stone fruits. They are therefore, the sweetest.

Rainiers have a prolonged picking season. That is because they need lots of sun to ripen and the outer cherries on the tree are ready first. You can work your way inward and come back to a single tree multiple times, for fruit. Farmers who grow them will tell you about their fragility, how easily they bruise and the necessity of hand-picking. They also do not fare well in extreme weather conditions. Then they need to be shielded from the birds, who love them just like we do. That involves netting. Lastly, the trip to market requires cool temps and minimal jostling, so as not to injure the delicate skin.

In honor of this much loved stone fruit, a cross between the Bing and Van varieties, July 11th has been declared National Rainier Cherry Day...a cherry with its own national holiday!