Bing cherry
Bing is a cultivar of the wild or sweet cherry (Prunus avium) that originated in the Pacific Northwest, in what is now Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. The Bing remains a major cultivar in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. 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.[citation needed] It is the most produced variety of sweet cherry in the U.S. today.[citation needed]
Some sources[who?] claim that Ah Bing cared for the trees from which the cherry was developed, while others[who?] claim that he had been responsible for cultivating the fruit.
Ah Bing was reportedly[who?] born in China and immigrated to the U.S. in 1855, where he worked as a foreman in the Lewelling family fruit orchards in Milwaukie, supervising other workers and caring for trees.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Bing_Cherries_%28USDA_ARS%29.jpg/150px-Bing_Cherries_%28USDA_ARS%29.jpg)
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.[citation needed] A wet climate is required for the harvest of the bing cherry.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Health
A study by the United States Department of Agriculture has shown that fresh Bing cherries may help sufferers of arthritis and gout.[1] However, the FDA warns that these are yet unproven claims.[2]
Bing cherries are high in anti-oxidants.[3]
See also
References
External links