I’m a proud Michigander – always have been and always will be. Honestly, how could you not love a state where you can raise your right hand (palm facing out) and point with your left to where you live? It’s how we tell people where to go to find the best of anything the state has to offer. It’s also why I’m sharing with you this Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries. I want to share with you everything I know about Michigan Tart Cherries!
Michigan has a rich agricultural history. If you’re from the Great Lakes State, you probably already know that Traverse City, Michigan hosts the National Cherry Festival and is known as the Cherry Capital of the world. In fact, about 75% of the U.S. Montmorency tart cherry crop is grown right here in Michigan. So, you can understand how thrilled I was when given the opportunity to work with the Michigan Cherry Committee on highlighting one of my absolute favorite fruits – the Tart Cherry!
A Superior Superfruit
There’s a lot to love about Michigan tart cherries, which is why I wanted to share with you this Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries. Their unique flavor profile lends itself to both sweet and savory dishes, which is one reason why I am so excited for the recipes I have lined up for this project.
I’m also a big fan of small, natural and food-based changes I can make toward better health. I’ve been noshing on tart cherries and drinking tart cherry juice for years to help with inflammation and insomnia. Two more reasons to love tart cherries! These are just a few reasons I wanted to share with you this Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries.
As long as we’re spilling the tea on Michigan tart cherries, you should know that tart cherry juice has become a popular post-workout beverage as well. A growing body of evidence with endurance athletes has shown that U.S. Montmorency tart cherry juice may help speed recovery and reduce exercise-induced muscle pain and strength-loss after extensive exercise. I’ve dedicated a recipe blog post to this topic, which you can find here.
Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries: How to tell the difference between home-grown and imported.
I try to shop local and USA products as much as possible. And I like knowing where my food comes from, how it is raised, grown, harvested and processed. I’m a cost-savvy shopper, but I’m willing to pay a little more for quality – especially when it comes to the food I put on the table for my family and friends. In Michigan, it’s pretty easy to get your hands on real tart cherries, but even I’ve been fooled a time to two, and frankly, I’m a little sour for it. That said, I immediately knew I wanted to dedicate a post on how to identify USA-grown tart cherries from their imported imposters.
This is another reason I wanted to share this Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries. I wanted to focus on how to identify the difference between imports, blends and 100% U.S. Montmorency Tart Cherry products.
From the USA or Way Far Away?
Choosing Michigan Montmorency tart cherries means you’re picking American-grown fruit. Fruit that comes straight from your neighbor’s farm to your local grocery store. Whereas, imported tart cherries may travel more than 5,000 miles in a shipping container before reaching your pantry.
Montmorency tart cherries are available year round. They are bright red when harvested in the summer and retain their bold color whether dried, frozen, canned or juiced. Although you won’t find Michigan Montmorency tart cherries in the produce section, they are always farm fresh since they are picked at the peak of ripeness in summer and quickly dried, frozen, canned or bottled to deliver a delicious product year-round.
You might think that because Michigan produces the majority of the tart cherries in the U.S. that means they have a pretty solid market position. I wish that were the case. Unfortunately, our farmers are struggling. Imports are flooding the market with cheaper cherries to the detriment of our local farms. So, if you’re like me and want to support your neighbor (whether in the next town over or two states over), how can you tell domestic cherries from imports? Let me show you where to look.
How to Identify Domestic Cherry Products
When it comes to juice, cherry concentrate, frozen or dried cherries, look for clear language on the packaging. Brands such as Indian Summer, Cherry Bay Orchards, Smeltzer Orchard Co., Traverse Bay Fruit Company, King Orchards and Eden proudly display that their products are made from 100% USA Montmorency tart cherries. Because they have a strong connection to the community and the local farms they work with, they often list where they are sourcing their product from.
How to Identify Turkish Imports and Blends
You won’t see the same level of transparency on brands that use imported cherries exclusively or blend their domestic juice with cherry juice from Turkey to cut costs. In fact, they often go out of their way to make it difficult to tell where their cherry products are coming from at all.
What about bulk cherries from the health food store? They must be local and organic, right?
If buying bulk dried cherries from the health food store you might be tempted to assume they are local and organic. Bulk foods can be tricky. The country of origin may not be listed on the label. If that’s the case, you can ask, but unless you’re talking to the person who does the buying, you may not get an accurate answer.
Still uncertain? Look at the color. Dried U.S. Montmorency tart cherries are dark, but still retain their red color. When frozen, their unmistakable bright red color is preserved. Foreign varieties will be darker in color – much like a raisin or prune. Look at the color of the cherries as a way to distinguish domestic from Turkish imports. However, if you’re still not sure, you have to assume they are not real U.S. grown Montmorency Tart Cherries. When in doubt, don’t. Instead, reach for a brand that you know and trust. Choose Michigan Cherries. Now that you have the Powerful 411 on Michigan Tart Cherries you shop with confidence!
For more recipes, nutrition research data or information on Michigan Tart Cherries, visit usacherries.com or www.choosecherries.com.
