Sweet (bing) Cherries- What Happend?

[budrichard]

For many many years my family and I have been eating predominantly Bing cherries. We would purchase them by the case for the children.

In the last 10 years or so the Bing cherry is not available as much and other varieties are being sold. Over the 10 years, the quality has been less and less until culimnating this year, the cherries have been predominately bad. I have wasted a lot of money on cherries this year to where I will not purchase anymore. I have used many suppliers so it is not a local occurance isolated to one supplier.

I suspect the Bing cherry may have gone the way of the commercial tomatoe and many cherry buyers do not have a measurement standard of what a good cherry tastes like. The growers of course make more profits as i suspect this has to do with varieties that are cheaper to grow and ship.

Does anyone have any definitve information about what has occurred?-Dick

[rlibkind]

Dick,

Where are you located and where do you buy your cherries, i.e., supermarket, farmers' market, etc.?

I'm located in Center City Philadelphia and regularly shop at the Reading Terminal Market, a public market, and farmers' markets in the heart of the city. Although the cherries have been better some years, the sweet cherries this year (mostly Bing, though there are some other varieties) from local orchards in southeast Pennsylvania were pretty good (the season ended by early July). Though it's slightly off topic, the pie cherries were excellent this year.

[weinoo]

I think the issue is that many more varieties and cultivars are being planted, in order to lengthen the "cherry" season to as long as possible. And some of those cultivars are nowhere near as good as a perfect bing.

So yes, in some orchards, bings may have been replaced, if not altogether, then at least partially, by various season-extending cherries.

And as rlibkind says above, depending on where the cherries you're buying are sourced, there have been some lousy cherries this year. But, the late California bings were excellent, as were cherries from Washington state.

[rickster]

Maybe I'm unfamiliar with the fine points of cherry varieties, but I thought all dark red sweet cherries were Bings. We have had a pretty good, although not outstanding crop in the Chicago area markets this year.

[weinoo]

Maybe I'm unfamiliar with the fine points of cherry varieties, but I thought all dark red sweet cherries were Bings. We have had a pretty good, although not outstanding crop in the Chicago area markets this year.

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Nope. Check out this northwest cherries website that lists at least 5 red varieties in addition to the bing...there are probably many more.

And from Cherry America:

Amazingly, there are over 1,000 different cherry varieties, but of those only 10% are produced on a large scale.

[Kouign Aman]

We got nothing but wonderful cherries this year.

We even had fun buying (ungodly-expensive) Bing cherries from California, while we were in New Zealand. It was a nice twist on our usual purchase of NZ apples when we're home.

[azurite]

I tried Lapins for the first time this year--bought them at a farmers' market in Corvallis, OR (Willamette Valley). They were ripe & delicious. Flavor was different from the Bings, but they were sweet & good. Much darker then the photo in the NW cherries link. Lots of sour cherries this summer too, a friend said she picked & sold 50 lbs from her sour cherry trees & still had enough to freeze quite a few pounds for herself (she likes them better than sweet cherries, both for pies, turnovers & eating out of hand). I didn't think I'd ever like to eat sour cherries, but if they're really ripe, they're good eating.

I saw an article indicating that some of the farmers raising sour cherries in northern MI (biggest source of sour cherries in the US) were thinking about dumping some of their crops because they couldn't sell them or not at a decent price. Doesn't seem as though it's been a very good year for farmers & ranchers so far. My friend w/the cherry trees isn't a farmer, but someone w/land who was probably close to self-sufficient in corn, fruit, veg, some nuts & eggs at one time (her & her family) but she's never made a living off of her land.

[Pierogi]

Let me add to the confirmations that at least in Southern California, the Bings were exceptional this year. And CHEAP ! They were $0.99 per pound and under for about 4 weeks running at various supermarket chains. I saw them as low as $0.69 per pound, tho' that was undoubtedly a loss leader.

What was rarer than hen's teeth this year, and just as pricey. were the Raniers we usually get from Washington about a month after the Bings hit. They never get as cheap or as plentiful as the Bings, but there is usually a good month or so when they're semi-affordable (like $2 per pound). I didn't see a lot of them this year, many stores never even offered them, and they never got below 3 or 4 bucks a pound. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy any Ranier cherries this year.

[Aloha Steve]

What was rarer than hen's teeth this year, and just as pricey. were the Raniers we usually get from Washington about a month after the Bings hit.  They never get as cheap or as plentiful as the Bings, but there is usually a good month or so when they're semi-affordable (like $2 per pound).  I didn't see a lot of them this year, many stores never even offered them, and they never got below 3 or 4 bucks a pound.  Needless to say, I didn't enjoy any Ranier cherries this year.

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Our local Costco had Raniers and they were very good. I don't remember how much per lb. but they were doubtless less than the $5.99 per pound Safeway gets for them over here.

Rainers are my one of my favorite fruits too bad availability is so short a time.

[budrichard]

Location is in Southern Wisconsin and sources are varied but since sweet cherries are not a local crop, no farmers markets except in Door county where of course they are the sour or pie variety.

Prices have ranged from $2.99/# to .99/# and except for one lot, all very uniformly bad compared to Bings I have purchased in the past.

My next stop will be a wholesale restaurant supplier for a case of Bing's. Our local wholesaler went out of business, so i will have to go to Milwaukee.-Dick

[rlibkind]

Clearly it's too late for this season, but next June, try a farmers' market. The Dane County market in Madison is an obvious first choice if you're anywhere near there, but there are other farmers' markets. Heck, the one time I visited the one in Racine I was pleasantly surprised . . . one orchardist even had Cox Orange apples! While sweet cherries may not be a local cash crop, I have no doubt that plenty of small farmers have both sweet and sour cherry trees and bring the fruit to market.

[budrichard]

Clearly it's too late for this season, but next June, try a farmers' market. The Dane County market in Madison is an obvious first choice if you're anywhere near there, but there are other farmers' markets. Heck, the one time I visited the one in Racine I was pleasantly surprised . . . one orchardist even had Cox Orange apples! While sweet cherries may not be a local cash crop, I have no doubt that plenty of small farmers have both sweet and sour cherry trees and bring the fruit to market.

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http://www.wisconsincherries.org/buy_cherr...etail/index.asp

I don't think there is a huge local supply and in any event, the growers are mostly in Door County which is a long way to go for a cherry.-Dick

[rlibkind]

I don't think there is a huge local supply and in any event, the growers are mostly in Door County which is a long way to go for a cherry.-Dick

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I'm sure your quite right that there's not a huge local supply outside Door County, but that doesn't mean you can't find them in season at one of the farmers' markets. Some vendors at the Dane County market do have them in season. It's certainly worth trying if you haven't already.

[David Ross]

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Bing cherry crop has been quite exceptional this year--especially in Washington State. I for one don't think that you'll see the popularity of the Bing cherry wane. I live not far from the huge cherry orchards of Central Washington. The Bing is still one of the largest crops that we produce. I use the Bing both for cooking and baking and as a simple eating cherry. The Ranier is much more expensive, and is primarily an eating cherry.

One's ability to find Bing cherries does depend on where you live--and I think the further away from the source that you get you'll have a decreasing chance of getting good Bing cherries at a reasonable price. I'm pretty luckby because I live in the heart of Northwest cherry country and I have a close source for loads of local cherries. We still have lots of fresh, local cherries in our markets.

Typically we start seeing Bing cherries in our markets around the third week of June and lasting into the first part of August. Gauging the start and end of the growing season this year was a bit tricky because we had a very harsh winter. The best cherries didn't arrive until mid-July and tapered off around the first of August--although there are still some good Bings in local u-pick orchards.

[weinoo]

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Bing cherry crop has been quite exceptional this year--especially in Washington State.  I for one don't think that you'll see the popularity of the Bing cherry wane.  I live not far from the huge cherry orchards of Central Washington.  The Bing is still one of the largest crops that we produce.  I use the Bing both for cooking and baking and as a simple eating cherry.  The Ranier is much more expensive, and is primarily an eating cherry.

One's ability to find Bing cherries does depend on where you live--and I think the further away from the source that you get you'll have a decreasing chance of getting good Bing cherries at a reasonable price. 

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Right you are, David. Let's not forget that cherries are a fruit that suffers mercilessly, compared to other fruits, once picked. And shipping them long distance does nothing for them.

Having lived in the former heart of cherry country, the Santa Clara valley, and having had wondrous cherries picked that same morning, the bar is set pretty high.

[Pam R]

We've been getting great sweet cherries this summer. Most of ours come from BC and I've been buying them weekly for the last couple of months. Only one bag was less-than-great.

[haresfur]

My understanding is that here in Washington State the cherries came on fast so they couldn't pick and process them quick enough. That meant that they only picked the best ones. Maybe you got the left-overs, after we ate our fill

I'll eat a few Raineers but prefer bings (shows his out of state roots and hangs head in foodie-uncoolness).