Bing cherry
Bing is a cultivar (farmed type) of the wild or sweet cherry (Prunus avium) that started in the Pacific Northwest, in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. The Bing remains a major cultivar in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It is the most produced variety of sweet cherry in the United States.[1]
History
[change | change source]The cultivar was created as a crossbred graft from the Republican cherry in 1875 by Oregon horticulturist Seth Lewelling and his Manchurian Chinese foreman Ah Bing, for whom the cultivar is named.[1]
Ah Bing
[change | change source]Ah Bing was reportedly born in China and immigrated to the U.S. in about 1855. He worked as a foreman in the Lewelling family fruit orchards in Milwaukie for about 35 years, supervising other workers and caring for trees. He went back to China in 1889 for a visit. Due to the restrictions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 he never returned to the United States.[1][2] Some say Ah Bing developed the cultivar, others that it was developed by Lewelling and named in Bing's honour due to his long service as orchard foreman.[1][3]
Horticultural production
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Bing cherries are used almost exclusively for fresh market. Bings are large, dark and firm cherries that ship well, but will crack open if exposed to rain near harvest. A wet climate is required for the harvest of the bing cherry.
Health
[change | change source]Bing cherries are high in anti-oxidants.[4] A study by the United States Department of Agriculture has shown that fresh Bing cherries may help sufferers of arthritis and gout.[5] However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that these are yet unproven claims.[6]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Peg Herring, Bing cherries are an American favorite. But who was Bing? Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, Oregon Progress, Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Fall 2009.
- ↑ Ah Bing, Infoplease.com, accessed September 23, 2010
- ↑ King, Sally (December 17, 2010). "A heritage of farming yields highly praised wines". Napa Valley Register. Napa, CA. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
- ↑ "A Daily Dose of Antioxidants?" in Agricultural Research, March 2008.
- ↑ Fresh Cherries May Help Arthritis Sufferers
- ↑ List of Firms Receiving Warning Letters Regarding Cherry and other Fruit-Based Products with Disease Claims in Labeling
Other websites
[change | change source]- All about cherries Archived 2007-04-27 at the Wayback Machine