Ulster cherry

The 'Ulster' cherry was created through an agricultural breeding program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1937, and was first introduced in 1964.[2] It derives from the crossing of the 'Schmidt' cherry (a mid-season cultivar that produces a dark red, moderately large fruit of a good quality and superior crack resistance) and the 'Lambert' cherry (a heart-shaped cultivar with dark red and moderately firm flesh and a sweet flavor).[2][3][4]

The 'Ulster' cherry is named after Ulster County, New York, a region that is home to commercial sweet cherry production.[2] It is grown across North America and has been successfully introduced in Europe and Australia.[5][6] The cultivar can be produced in harsh climates: when Norway launched its sweet cherry commercial production, the cultivar was imported for planting in that nation's fjord district, located at latitude 60°N.[7]

The 'Ulster' cherry is a midseason cultivar. The dark red fruit is firm and large, sometimes measuring more than one inch in diameter. Its fruit has a strong resistance to cracking brought about by pre-harvest rains, and the trees growing the Ulster cherry have been documented as showing a higher resistance to southwest trunk winter injury, cherry leaf spot and the late spring frosts that can prove fatal to this cultivar . Cracking can be high on some young trees, but the level of cracking declines as the trees mature.[2][8]

The 'Ulster' cherry’s sweet taste has made it popular in several formats. It can be consumed as freshly picked fruit, and it is also used in canned cherries products.[9] It has also been incorporated into wine production. The Peninsula Cellars Melange, created by Michigan’s Peninsula Cellars wine from a mixture of fermented sweet black 'Ulster' cherry juice and pure grape brandy, won the Best of Show Award at the 1998 Michigan State Fair.[10]

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