Under the canopy, a mechanical claw reaches out to grasp the trunk, clamps and shakes violently, sending a cascade of bright red cherries onto a conveyor belt. The scene, so common in Michigan, plays out in Eastern Washington, in the heart of a fruit region used to seeing cherries picked by hand. Dorsing Farms of Royal City is one of just three Washington orchards commercially producing tart cherries, harvested mechanically and used in everything from pies to juice to trail mix. The family has grown tart cherries for 25 years or so, said Patrick Dorsing, general manager. The Dorsings’ tart […]