The Virginia cherry season may soon be over but personal George Washington’s cherries live on at his Mount Vernon residence two centuries after the first American president’s death. An archaeological revelation on June 18 showed well-preserved bunches, baffling plant specialists.
Archaeologists who have been working on Mount Vernon’s cellar since 2023 found 35 intact glass bottles, two with fresh cherries.
Though initially hesitant since Mount Vernon’s ancient glass utensils usually emerge in fragments, the archaeologists had to finally acknowledge the find.
During the $40 million restoration dig, the researchers found 29 bottles with fresh-scented cherries, gooseberries or redcurrants.
The fresh aroma prompted the team to keep the fruits in refrigeration for future lab tests without test-tasting them.
That the red cherries still ooze “an aroma…is astonishing,” remarked Dr. Jason Burroughs, head of the archaeological team at Mt. Vernon.
He added that this preservation indicates that the bottles were made by hand and their material probably came from Europe.
The first discovery of a bottle with fruits occurred in fall 2023 while the rest after March 2024.
Dating George Washington’s Cherries
There is also curiosity that these cherries could indicate slavery as Mount Vernon housed over 500 slaves between 1750 and 1770.
The handmade bottles also point to underground storage pit cellars that expansion work on Mount Vernon eventually hid.
This probably explains why these 18th century cherries still look and smell fresh in the 21st century.
Putting the Virginia Cherry Season in the Picture
Meanwhile, the home state of George Washington, Virginia, is past its March-to-April peak cherry harvest but some areas still remain unharvested.
Most of the late-maturing cherry areas are in the Blacksburg vicinity. According to Virginia State University, June 20 and 25, and July 1 and 5 mark the harvest dates for remaining sweet varieties.
The remaining tart cherries, in their part, will be ready by June 20 and 25 as well as July 1 and 5.
Virginians could therefore still enjoy current prices at $5.66 and $5.24 per pound for fresh and canned packages respectively.
Finally, as Virginia makes headlines with George Washington’s cherries, the U.S’ harvest is at its peak. The Northwest states expect 17 to 18 million 20-ib boxes of sweet cherries in the 2024 season. And as the statistics below reveal, Virginia lags behind in national cherry production vis-á-vis the Pacific northwest.
Virginia and U.S. Cherry Statistics
Cherry production in Virginia and eastern United States is small because most cherries go into fruit processing. The Northwest, on the other hand, commands almost all production of cherries, which reached 371,000 tonnes in 2023. To this volume, Washington contributed 240,000 tonnes, California followed with 80,000 tonnes and Oregon closed the top 3 with 51,000 tonnes.
Does Virginia produce tart cherries?
Virginia contributed some of the 24.4 million pounds of tart cherries from “other states” outside the top 3 in 2023. 2023’s top tart-producing states were Michigan with 130.6 million pounds, Utah with 32.5 million pounds and Wisconsin (9.7 million pounds).
What are the most popular cherry varieties in Virginia?
Virginia and eastern states like New York grow both sweet and tart cherries. The most common commercial sweet cherries are yellow-fleshed Rainier alongside red-fleshed Cavalier, Sam, Sweetheart and Hudson. Popular tart cherries include Montmorency, Northstar, Meteor, Kristin and Lapins, among others.