Wentachee, WA<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Kyle Mathison, Grower/Partner with Stemilt Growers, takes us for a tour of his high elevation Amigos orchards in picturesque Wentachee, Washington for this episode of Behind the Greens. <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"How do we grow our cherries as late as possible? Normally, variety and climate are the main drivers. Our cool night air delays the ripeness, and we have to have the right genetics," states Mathison, while displaying Stemilt's popular late cherry variety, the Staccato. "The Staccato is the latest cherry in the United States."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">With regards to their famous flavor profile, Mathison discusses tricks of his trade. "How do we get the flavor? We have our own recipe for Stemilt's world famous compost, for starters. As in the wine business, we've found that good compost gives more aromatics and more sugars."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Mathison also believes in taking advantage of everything that nature has to offer, even from our closest celestial neighbor. "I truly believe that you win by inches. Every little detail is important; for example, our new boxes depict the mystique of the moon. The gravitational pull of the moon literally pulls the carbohydrates out of the roots and into the fruit. That's why I always say that, here at Amigos, we're a half mile closer to the moon. It all comes together to make world famous cherries."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Staccato cherry variety was discovered by researchers at the Agriculture Canada Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia. A late-ripening and super-sweet cherry variety, Staccato is harvested in the middle of August in Washington state. Stemilt holds the exclusive rights to grow and market this variety in the United States.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Stemilt Growers <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
