Chokecherries

[BDub]

I like it on ice cream as well. My dad makes it. He has a tree right off his deck.

 

[Ristorapper]

CC Syrup on pancakes and cc jam on toast. Can't beat it.

 

[dean nelson]

your childhood was to sheltered LOL , chokecherry syrup is the food of the gods , eaten myself sick on juneberry's never chokecherrys plus you get a awesome pit to send a friends way ;:;rofl my Dad could make a chokecherry wine crisp and light knock your socks off if you weren't careful add that to the list of things I wish I would of learned from him

My guess is it got mixed up with the fact that the bush itself is highly toxic to deer,elk,moose,cattle and horses. Once the leaves begin to wilt they produce cyanide so needles to say not great for life expectancy of any anamal with chamberd stomachs. As for the barries I always loved the jam on toast. Picking them and especially june barriers as a kid was always fun cause my uncle would set us up in tyvek suits with the legs and wrists duct taped to keep the 8 billion ticks out. We would get back to the truck and he would get out the broom and brush off all the little bastards before we could get in.

 

[DirtyMike]

It's been a couple years since my mom has made chokecherry syrup. The last time was when I was still in college. I guarded that syrup like it was my child. My girlfriend (now wife) came over to make breakfast for me one morning and she knew I like my pancakes. Even with all the effort she put in that day, I wouldn't share my chokecherry syrup. She was furious. It wasn't until a couple years later that I finally let her have a bottle of my moms syrup stock. I had stronger feelings giving that bottle up then when I gave her that engagement ring. In quick summary, I'd fight a frail, old gam gam for her last bottle of chokecherry syrup.

 

[NDbowman]

Gotta have chokecherry jelly on toast. Syrup is good to. For those that want to plant chokecherries. Try a Shubert cherry tree. Very similar to chokecherry. More resistant to black rot but still get it. Berries are a little bigger and meatier. Tastes the same as chokecherry to me.
Another one is the Black choke berry. Ripens a little later. Makes a great tasting jelly and syrup to. Tastes very similar to chokecherry but yet a little different.

 

[wildeyes]

yea time for chokecherry syrup and wine, I have some trees in the back yard that are full one of them not so much because as soon as the berrys got purple that birds were on them. The way I look at it me and the birds are having a race to see who gets the berrys first.

 

[Fracman]

What is the difference between jelly and jam

 

[2400]

Pan fried corn bread. Cooking oil or bacon grease in a cast iron pan, heat till hot, drop in thick slice of corn bread, flip once and plate. Drizzle on syrup. Guaranteed to block your arteries and loosen your stool at the same time.

use a steamer to extract the juice?

These two back to back had me rolling on the floor. Thanks!

 

[Duckslayer100]

Well gee....didn't realize my sheltered lifestyle was enough to get negative rep. Thanks, I guess?

No, I've never had chokecherry syrup, nor had I heard of it until today. Are you talking about those trees that are all over fargo that drop little red berries on the sidewalk and make it slick as bat shit? Aren't those chokecherries?

 

[Lycanthrope]

I want to plant about 100 yards of choke cherries bushes on the north side of my house for this reason

I would suggest planting some of the new Canadian 'sour' cherries also.

 

[guywhofishes]

Well gee....didn't realize my sheltered lifestyle was enough to get negative rep. Thanks, I guess?

No, I've never had chokecherry syrup, nor had I heard of it until today. Are you talking about those trees that are all over fargo that drop little red berries on the sidewalk and make it slick as bat shit? Aren't those chokecherries?

neg rep? geez! Ha ha - amazing.

those are crab apples most likely

I can hook you up with a sample of cc syrup so you can experience tongue nirvana

the dark purple/wine colored trees you see all over ND cities these days are called shuberts - a strain of chokecherry from Canada that is ornamental in purpose. you'll have to scour a few trees to get some though (they are getting ripe right now) because storms or birds eat the living crud out of them in the FM area. When you taste them raw they are bitter chalky gross - not at all how they smell/taste once cooked down

the Shubert fruit is OK - but galwhofishes and I are convinced the wild strains that one finds out in the sticks deliver a more berry-licious punch

 

[DirtyMike]

What is the difference between jelly and jam

you can't jelly your D in the P

 

[guywhofishes]

jelly = clear juice of fruit that is gelled

jam = whole or pieces of actual fruit in with the jelly

- - - Updated - - -

you can't jelly your D in the P

I was forced to google it. found the joke. then had to rationalize it for a while. by the time I "got it" I was too wore out to chuckle.

work is depressing

 

[Lycanthrope]

Jelly = juice
Jam = juice + pulp
Preserves = whole fruit included usually, skins etc...

 

[Fracman]

you can't jelly your D in the P

This is where I was going with my question.

 

[dean nelson]

I've never heard of chokecherry syrup. I was told as a wee lad that chokecherries would make you sick.

Huh...

Well they wernt all wrong. After reading up on them every part of the chokecherry bush it highly poisonous except for the juce and flesh of the berries. The leaves and bark have killed a fair few horses and kids have been poisoned by chewing on the twigs or the pits in the fruit streight from the tree. The pits can be rendered non-poisonous but didnt look how since i have no need to do it. We're talking cyanide poisoning here so needless to say very nasty stuff and definitely something to keep an eye on well picking if you have small children with. I guess its strong enough and kids are susceptible enough to the poison that even using a live chokecherry branch to skewer hotdogs on can lead to them becoming ill.

 

[NDbowman]

Well they wernt all wrong. After reading up on them every part of the chokecherry bush it highly poisonous except for the juce and flesh of the berries. The leaves and bark have killed a fair few horses and kids have been poisoned by chewing on the twigs or the pits in the fruit streight from the tree. The pits can be rendered non-poisonous but didnt look how since i have no need to do it. We're talking cyanide poisoning here so needless to say very nasty stuff and definitely something to keep an eye on well picking if you have small children with. I guess its strong enough and kids are susceptible enough to the poison that even using a live chokecherry branch to skewer hotdogs on can lead to them becoming ill.

Don't know if I believe all that. When I was a kid I remember Mom dumping the boiled berries to the pigs. This is after boiling them to get the juice. The pigs would chow down chomping away crunching the pits and all.

Plus I've heard of people using chokecherry to smoke sausage with. Wouldn't the poison contaminate the meat also?

 

[dean nelson]

Don't know if I believe all that. When I was a kid I remember Mom dumping the boiled berries to the pigs. This is after boiling them to get the juice. The pigs would chow down chomping away crunching the pits and all.

Plus I've heard of people using chokecherry to smoke sausage with. Wouldn't the poison contaminate the meat also?

The key to that is the word boiled! Like i said there is a way to neutralize the pits and its something in the cooking process. Here one of many write ups on it.

[h=3]Toxicity:[/h]Most parts of chokecherry are toxic to humans and livestock. Digestion of chokecherry seeds, leaves, twigs and bark by enzymes in the stomach releases cyanide (also called hydrocyanic or prussic acid). Cyanide poisoning can occur with fresh, bruised, wilted or dried foliage. It is possible for a person or animal to die of cyanide poisoning if not treated within minutes of ingestion. Cases of poisoning in livestock have been reported. However, it is not usual for such poisonings to occur at times when other, more palatable forage is available. Cases of poisoning have been reported for children who chewed on twigs, or ate the cherries without discarding the pits. The fleshy portion of the chokecherry fruit is not poisonous and can be safely eaten, although it is extremely tart.

 

[raider]

growing up, our older relatives always had fresh bread with sour cream spread on bout 1/8 to 1/4" thick with chokecherry syrup poured over top... awesome flavor blend, especially on home made bread...

 

[Davey Crockett]

Toxicity:

Most parts of chokecherry are toxic to humans and livestock. Digestion of chokecherry seeds, leaves, twigs and bark by enzymes in the stomach releases cyanide (also called hydrocyanic or prussic acid). Cyanide poisoning can occur with fresh, bruised, wilted or dried foliage. It is possible for a person or animal to die of cyanide poisoning if not treated within minutes of ingestion. Cases of poisoning in livestock have been reported. However, it is not usual for such poisonings to occur at times when other, more palatable forage is available. Cases of poisoning have been reported for children who chewed on twigs, or ate the cherries without discarding the pits. The fleshy portion of the chokecherry fruit is not poisonous and can be safely eaten, although it is extremely tart.




Holy cats, That is news in this neck of the woods. We have native trees all over the farm that the deer don't seem to bother but I planted a row in the yard that had a few berries last year and this spring there were no blossoms at all, I was sure the deer had been in there and pruned them when I drove by with the mower.