General Information
Rainier cherries distinguish themselves from all other cherry varieties by the color of their skin and their unparalleled high sugar levels. Their coloring exhibits layers of golden hues blushed with tones of pink and red, an unequivocally unique facade. Their shape is quintessential cherry: plump, rounded and slightly heart-shaped with a dimple at the stem end. The flesh is a pale golden color with red streaks near the skin and seed. The flavor of Rainier cherries is memorably sweet and low acid with a caramel-like finish on the palate.
History
The Rainier cherry (named after Mount Rainier) was developed in 1952 by Harold Fogle for Washington State University’s breeding program. The fruit was released to the public in 1960. The mother tree which produced the very first Rainier fruits still grows on the same orchard five miles from the University station in Prosser, Washington. Washington state remains the premier growing region for Rainier cherries. Its complex climate contributes to plumper, sweeter cherries than any other growing regions. It is geographically strange that Washington state produces the best Rainier cherries because they are one of the most sensitive cultivars to wind, temperature fluctuation and rain. Rainier cherries need abundant sunlight, thus cherries are picked from the outside in, as the outer fruit matures first. It is common for a harvester to return to the same tree several times during one season.
