So Much To Love About Cherries!
Cherries are one of the most popular of all the fruit that we carry at Kin’s Farm Market. This could be due to the fact that they can be consumed in so many ways—including fresh, dried, canned, and even pickled. Then again it might be because they’re only available for a limited time each year—due to the truncated season. All we know is that people just can’t get enough of them…and if the truth be known, we can’t either…we’re huge cherry fans, too.
Even though cherries are cultivated worldwide, the vast majority of the ones we carry are grown along the west coast of North America. Depending on the time of year, we source our cherries from orchards in California, the Pacific Northwest and, of course, right here in BC. In fact, whenever possible, we seek to buy local, first.
Popular Cherry Varieties
BING
The leading and best-known of all the sweet cherries in North America, the Bing originated in Milwaukie, Oregon back in 1847. Featuring a deep mahogany-red colour, they’re large, firm, and juicy.
CHELAN
Also known as ‘Black Cherries’, Chelan are the leading early-ripening sweet-cherry. They’re medium-sized, deep-mahogany, heart-shaped cherries that are similar to the Bing in look and texture. They mature two weeks prior to Bing.
Cristalina
A large dark-red to black, heart-shaped cherry, Cristalina are similar to the Bing. They are a firm and sweet cherry but with more firmness of the flesh. They’re considered an early-season variety and mature 5-8 days before Bing.
lapins
Lapins are very similar (in look and taste) to the Bing cherry but with more firmness of the flesh. A large, mahogany-red, sweet-cherry, they were developed in British Columbia. They’re considered a late-season variety.
Regina
A popular dark-red cherry that is fairly large in size and has a firm dark red texture (inside & out) and sweet-tart flavor. They tend to mature about 10 days after Bing cherries.
Sentennial
A medium to large sized, kidney-shaped cherry, the Sentinel has a dark, wine-red in colour and red flesh that’s firm to hard in texture. It’s considered a very late season variety.
Skeena
A large-sized, kidney-shaped cherry, the Skeena has a dark-red to black colour and red flesh and features a very firm texture. Developed in British Columbia, it’s considered a late-season variety.
Ranier
Ranier cherries were developed in Washington and named after Mount Ranier. They are a medium-sized, sweet cherry, with thin skin and pale-yellow flesh. They typically ripen from late June to early July.
Did You Know
Cherries are a Healthy Choice!
Consuming sweet cherries can help prevent chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Aside from being high in fiber, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and a great source of Vitamin C, sweet cherries are also full of several powerful phytonutrients.
When Cherry Varieties Ripen In BC
