Consumers in Australia prefer cherries without stems because they look fresh, a Washington State University study suggests. Dr. Matt Whiting, horticulturist with Washington State University in Prosser, reported on the study at the annual Cherry Institute meeting in Yakima in January. Cherries that are harvested mechanically are harvested without stems, ­Whiting said, and growers need to know that if they adopt mechanical harvesting for labor efficiency they will be able to sell the product. The study was designed to find out if stemless cherries would be acceptable to consumers in Australia, which imports Northwest cherries. Northwest Cherry Growers and the […]