America the Foodie: How Yakima Valley Shaped USA's Food Culture

Our harvest region in the Yakima Valley is a central part of America's 250th Anniversary food culture — and the story continues here.

America the Foodie

Many people in America don't realize some of the ingredients, foods, and drinks we eat and drink on a daily basis can be traced back to the Yakima Valley.

For instance, I'm originally from Tennessee, but I do remember drinking Tree Top apple juice back in the day. Tree Top is made in Selah, Washington, right next door to Yakima where I live now.

There are six major foods grown in our back yard that help feed the country and many places across the globe. Some of them I didn't even realize were seeded, harvested, and processed here.

Huckleberries (wíwnu)

Before the colonizers and various other pioneers arrived to what is now known as the Yakima Valley, our lands were the ancestral home of the Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Nation. Their honored and coveted First Foods included berries, roots, and herbs that are still found in the region today.

You'll need a permit to pick huckleberries on national forest lands, and just note, non-tribal members are prohibited from harvesting huckleberries on Yakama federal tribal land without permission from Tribal Elders.

Apples

Apples sure do love them some Washington State! We are the largest producer of apples, and our apples are shipped all over the globe. Cosmic Crisp is the latest hybrid apple, created by students at Washington State University (Go Cougs!). This apple has quickly become America's favorite due to its resistance to turning brown quickly and its juicy sweetness.

Cherries

Those sweet cherries everybody loves are mostly grown in the Yakima Valley.

"In 1847, Henderson Lewelling (also spelled "Luelling") and his family traveled from Iowa to the western portion of Oregon Territory by oxcart, bringing with them 700 various fruit trees, several of which became the first cherry trees ever planted in the region." - HistoryLink.org

Wine Grapes

Yakima Valley arguably has some of the country's best wine grapes. I've personally squealed with delight when I see Yakima Valley pours on wine lists in restaurants in Las Vegas, Washington D.C., and New York!

Hops

The Yakima Valley grows nearly 75% of the country's hops that go into making beer. I love driving through East Valley and gawking at how tall the hop fields get during the summer right before harvest.

Washington State's Food Legacy

Washington is also the leading producers of other vital foods to America's past and present, including potatoes (some of our potatoes are even used to make fries for McDonald's) and asparagus.