Summer's Superfruit is Here! Add It to Grocery Carts Now to Enjoy Year-Round

YAKIMA, Wash., June 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the start of summer upon us, the Pacific Northwest states are beginning to fill produce sections across the U.S. with one of the last truly seasonal fruits: delicious sweet cherries. Mother Nature has made the season extra challenging for the more than 2,100 growers across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Utah and Idaho, who supply 80 percent of the nation's sweet cherries.  Early spring frosts and late spring rains together reduced and delayed the total crop, but that's only made the remaining fruit that much bigger and sweeter.

"For many, summer and sweet cherries go hand in hand," said James Michael with the Northwest Cherry Growers, a grower-funded organization that researches and promotes their cherries. "They seem to bring up a lot of fond memories of baking or canning, or just enjoying a bowlful on a hot summer day in the backyard." 

Shopping for Northwest-grown sweet cherries is as simple as ever. Beyond the displays popping up in stores from coast to coast, this year digital grocery shopping brings the superfruit of the summer from Northwest trees to consumers' tables with a just a few clicks. Large and small retailers alike have been working to address the recent surge in online shopping, and with such a short season, they've been extra keen to make sure cherries from the Northwest will be available no matter how a customer chooses to shop.

While Northwest cherries give a boost of flavor and pack a sweet punch, they're also a versatile fruit to enjoy while in season and year-round. Here's how:

Enjoy cherries now:

• Fresh is best: Enjoy while on-the-go or at home. Sweet cherries are an easy and portable fruit, making them the perfect refresher on a hike, in picnic or barbeque dish, topping on a cool treat or road trip snack.
• Bake to impress: Pies, bars, crumbles and cobblers – the options are endless and always delicious. Northwest-grown cherries make baked desserts oh so sweet, and their naturally high sugar content makes it easy for bakers to cut down on added sugar. Northwest Cherry Growers has some recipes for inspiration here.
• Cook and create: Enhance everyday dishes with a sweet cherry sauce, or use cherries to turn light appetizers, fresh salads or heartier dishes into a summertime delight. 

Enjoy cherries later:

• Freeze for the future: Looking to keep sweet cherries around longer than summertime? Freezing is quick and easy, so you can enjoy the taste of summer all year long. Here are some tips on how to freeze Northwest-grown sweet cherries.
• Sweet preservation: Another way to enjoy sweet cherries past their season is preserving them. Grab those empty mason jars and some cherries to can and preserve for use later in the year. Find canning instructions here.
• Dry for later: A great addition to trail mix, salads, baking or by the handful are dried sweet cherries. Drying cherries is a simple solution to keep them around throughout the year. See how the Northwest Cherry Growers do so in only a few steps here.

The Northwest season of sweet cherries lasts until August, so stock up now on the fresh selection whether shopping online or in-store to savor this superfruit all year long.

For more information on sweet Northwest cherries—recipes, canning ideas, health tips and more—follow the Northwest Cherry Growers on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

About Northwest Cherries
Founded in 1947, the Northwest Cherry Growers is a grower's organization funded solely by self-imposed fruit assessments used to increase awareness and consumption of regionally-grown stone fruits. The organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, market development, and research of cherries from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana orchards.

SOURCE Northwest Cherry Growers