Ginger Zee of ABC News visited Traverse City to talk cherries, hops with MSU researchers
For ABC News' Food Forecast, Ginger Zee visited Traverse City to talk cherries and hops with growers and MSU researchers.
Along the shores of Lake Michigan in Traverse City the tart cherry is king. The area produces more tart cherries than anywhere in America, with 32,000 acres planted across the state.
The tart cherries love Lake Michigan, which acts like a blanket for the cherry blossoms. In spring, the sensitive fruit is extremely susceptible to frost and the lake adds cloud cover to insulate the bud from breaking too early.
“We're pretty far north, that's the thing, When you look at it, we're at the 45th parallel,” says Nikki Rothwell, coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Research Center, which studies tart cherries.
For the full article and a video, visit ABC News.