7 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t
ANATOMY OF
The cherry is the merriest of fruits. It ripens at the beginning of the high summer stone-fruit
season, giving us one of the best treats straight away. Finding a bowl of cherries on the kitchen table when you got home from school as
a kid made you feel glad to be alive. They're pretty and heart-shaped—the perfect gift for a loved one. And best of all, their flavor melts
seamlessly into chocolate.
I'm not alone in thinking that Bing is the best-tasting, most satisfying cherry variety. I asked Elizabeth Mitcham of the Department of
Pomology at the University of California at Davis which variety of Prunus avium, the sweet cherry, she thinks is tops for quality. "Most
of those I have polled agree that Bing is the best variety," she replied. Her associate, Janet Caprile, one of U.C. Davis's Farm Advisors,
added, "The California Rare Fruit Growers occasionally organize fruit tastings. They did a cherry tasting, and here are their top ten,
with the most popular first: Bing, Utah Giant, Rainier, Larian, Lambert, Ebony, Black Tartarian, Garnet, Sparkle and Black Republican. I
would add Brooks to the list."
The Bing cherry was hybridized in 1875 by orchardist Seth Lewelling of Milwaukie, Oregon, and named for Ah Bing, a Chinese laborer
who worked for him for many years. Few remember the name of Lewelling, but everyone remembers the name of his laborer.
THE CHERRY
STORY AND ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF COX
