Dark-Sweet Cherries

The word "cherry" comes from the French word "cerise," which in turn comes from the Latin words cerasum and Cerasus, the classical name of the modern city Giresun in Turkey.

Stemilt harvests sweet cherries beginning in late April from California. Once California wraps-up in mid-June, Stemilt immediately begins harvesting sweet cherries in eastern Washington. High-elevation orchards on Stemilt Hill stretch the Stemilt sweet cherry season into September. Read on to learn about the different sweet cherry varieties Stemilt grows.

Brooks

The Brooks cherry variety was developed at the University of California-Davis. Brooks is a red cherry variety with well-balanced sweetness. It’s also very tolerant of hot climates and is the first sweet cherry variety to ripen in both California and Washington state.

Chelan

Born in 1971 by Washington State University researcher Tom Toyama, the Chelan cherry is a cross between the Stella and Beaulieu varieties. Chelan cherries have a mahogany red skin and sweet flavor. The Chelan cherry variety is one of the first varieties to be harvested in Washington state each summer.

Garnet

Introduced by California breeder Marvin Nies, Garnet is a large cherry with excellent flavor. There are several strains of this variety, but all produce a uniformly red cherry with a glassy exterior and short stems. Garnet cherries are available from Stemilt in May.

Bing

The Bing cherry was developed in the 1870’s by horticulturalist Seth Lewelling and his Chinese foreman Ah Bing, for whom the variety is named after. Bing is the leading sweet cherry variety in the United States. Stemilt grows Bing cherries in both California and Washington state. 

Lapins

Developed by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia, the Lapin cherry variety is a result of a Van and Stella cherry cross. Lapins were named after Dr. Karl Lapins, a pioneer in cherry breeding. This super-sweet cherry is available from Stemilt during the month of July from Washington state.

Skeena

Discovered by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia, in the mid-1990’s, the Skeena cherry variety is a cross between the Bing, Stella, and Van varieties. Skeena cherries have a deep mahogany color and sweet flavor with lower acid levels than other dark-sweet cherry varieties. Skeena is a late-harvesting cherry variety that is available in mid-July from Washington state.

Sweetheart

The Sweetheart cherry variety was discovered by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia. Sweetheart is a cross between the Van and Newstar cherry varieties. Like their name implies, Sweetheart cherries are heart-shaped. Sweetheart cherries are known for having high sugar levels and are available from mid-July to mid-August from Washington state.

Staccato

The Staccato cherry variety was discovered by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia. A late-ripening and super-sweet cherry variety, Staccato is harvested in the middle of August in Washington state. Stemilt holds the exclusive rights to grow and market this variety in the United States.

Sequoia®

Developed by researchers at Bradford Genetics in Le Grand, California, Sequoia is actually a group of early-season cherry varieties that resulted from multiple crosses. Warmerdam Packing in California holds the rights to this cherry variety, but Stemilt has a sublicense to grow Sequoia cherries in Washington state. This sweet and juicy cherry is available from Stemilt in early June.