Chokecherry Jelly

[prism]

Hi! New here.
We have had a lot of chokecherries this year so I have been busy making chokecherry jelly. Anyone else loaded with chokecherries? I did a search and didn't find any messages here. Our altitude is 3000ft and I almost gave up on jelly after having so many batches come out as syrup. Finally got it figured out and it is coming out so yummy!

If anyone is having the same problem, try this recipe and process:

High Altitude Chokecherry Jelly
http://www.xomba.com/high_altitude_chokecherry_jelly_recipe

I hope to try crab apple jelly for the first time also. We picked some Sunday but I probably won't get to make it until mid-week. I've seen recipes that typically don't call for pectin because of the pectin naturally in the apples. Anyone at a higher altitude have any experience with this? Is there enough in the apples or should more be added as a precaution when making apple jelly at higher altitudes?

 

[lesa]

Still waiting for mine to ripen- not sure if I will have enough for jelly...Hoping! Enjoy yours!

 

[prism]

Thanks lesa! We already went through two pints from the first batch from a couple of weeks ago. DS and DS have decided they really like it too.

We are almost at the end of our chokecherries. I thought ours ripened late. What zone are you in? Are you sure the birds aren't beating you to the ripe ones? We were picking some each day as they ripened and keeping them in the fridge until we got enough. Also you want some of them to be only partially ripe when making jelly so that makes it a little easier to get 6-7 cups to make a small batch of jelly.

Hope you get enough! Let me know how it turns out!

 

[lesa]

Oops- I meant ground cherry!

 

[obsessed]

When I first moved to Montana I had never seen a choke cherry. And I asked one of my friends what they were and if they were editable and they said no that only birds could eat them. If I had only knew. I may never know what chokecherry jelly tastes like.

 

[prism]

Oops- I meant ground cherry!

Oh, okay! I was going to say earlier that I never remembered having chokecherries in New England but then I thought maybe I just somehow missed them all those years! It was years after being in MT before I finally found out what they were. Then I kicked myself for not finding out sooner. I do miss Maine blueberries though!

 

[prism]

When I first moved to Montana I had never seen a choke cherry. And I asked one of my friends what they were and if they were editable and they said no that only birds could eat them. If I had only knew. I may never know what chokecherry jelly tastes like.

The pits are poisonous so that is why they probably said they aren't edible but they are very edible -minus the pit. There is also speculation that heat kills the toxin. Native Americans used to pound chokecherries into thin sheets (including the pits) and dry it in the sun to make fruit leather. For some reason, the pits had lost their toxicity.

A lot of people rave about chokecherry syrup for pancakes and the only place you will find it is in the specialty stores that carry homemade jellies and such. It is pretty expensive too. Chokecherry syrup on pancakes is a nice change of pace and very tasty but being a NH sprout, I still prefer good old fashion "real" maple syrup. Then again, that is almost impossible to come by in MT.