Interesting Fruit Facts
— Apples —
There is proof that man has enjoyed apples for at least 750,000 years.
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Apples were a favorite of the ancient Romans and Greeks.
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Early settlers of the United States brought apple seeds with them.
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Apples are one of the most valuable fruit crops in the United States.
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Washington State produces about 70% of the apples in the United States.
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7,500 apple varieties are grown worldwide, yet 15 popular varieties make up 90%+ of all U.S. apple production.
— Pears —
California, Oregon and Washington make up the majority of pear production.
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These 3 states in 2014, produced 776 million pounds of pears
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Other U.S. states that produce pears: Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania
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Pears can be separated into two types: European or French
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Pear’s sweet, but not overbearing flavor makes them an ideal fruit for processing.
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The largest export market for fresh pears was Mexico, followed by Canada and Russia.
— Cherries —
Washington leads the nation in sweet cherry production.
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Washington, California and Oregon are the primary sweet cherry states (representing 90% of all production)
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Michigan is the primary tart cherry state (representing 74% of all production)
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Cherries rank as one of the Top 20 foods with the highest concentration of Antioxidants
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Cherries can be used in a variety of ways, like fresh, frozen and canned, or as juice, wine, brined or dried.
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76% of sweet cherries are destined for the fresh market, with the remaining 24% used for processing.
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99% of tart cherries are used for processing.
