Washington State produced over $10 billion in agriculture commodities in 2021 according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics.

People the world over enjoy food products grown or originating in the Evergreen State.  Are there some foods Washington State is best known for?

Most would complete the phrase "Washington State ___________" with Apples.  There are other options to consider and some others that may surprise you. Here's just a sampling, based on data from the USDA.

What fruits is Washington State known for?

  • Rainier Cherries  Named for the state's highest peak. Washington is the leader in overall cherry production and for sweet cherries as well.  Michigan produces about 70% of the market share of tart cherries, dwarfing Utah, Wisconsin and Washington at 4th in production.  But we produce over 55% of the US sweet cherry crop in Washington with a value of almost a half billion in 2021
  • Apples  Washington has 72% of the share of US apple market  The Big Apple, New York state isn't even close at #2 with just an 11% market share
  • Apricots (#2 Leading Producer)
  • Blueberries (#1 Leading Producer)

What other food is Washington State known for?

  • Aplets and Cotlets: the Turkish delight manufactured by Liberty Orchards in Cashmere, WA . Sales figures were not available but Aplets and Cotlets, Fruit Delights, Orchard Bars and the full lineup of products are a popular year round gift.
  • Almond Roca Candy The Brown and Haley Company confection from Tacoma, WA since 1920 is based on a recipe for English toffee.  Each piece is wrapped in a signature gold foil.
  • Wheat The Evergreen State is ranked 4th in the nation in wheat production most notably in the golden fields of the Palouse.  Washington trails only Kansa, North Dakota and is ranked just behind Montana in US crop value of over $800M
  • Potatoes While Idaho is #1 for spuds, Washington is a respectable #2 for US production value at nearly $700M  jus behind Idaho
  • Asparagus (#3 Leading Producer)
  • Mint (#2 Leading Producer): The northwest states, including Oregon and Idaho comprise the top three producers and 95% of US production
  • Canola (#2 Leading Producer)
  • Carrots (#2 Leading Producer)
  • Corn Sweet, Fresh  (#5 Leading Producer)
  • Dairy products, milk (#10 Leading Producer)
  • Lentils (#3 Leading Producer)
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Washington State is also known for brewing and wine

  • Hops  Washington produces 73% of the US hop crop, the lion's share of domestic production
  • Wine Washington is the second largest producing wine grape producing state in the US behind California.  Grape production was valued at $300M but the Washington Wine Commission puts the in-sate economic impact at more than $8 billion
  • Barley (#6 Leading Producer)

Washington's Top 10 Commodities

Let's plow through some of Washington state's top producing commodities, based on information from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

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