Has Anyone Ever Made Chokecherry Jelly or Syrup? Is it tasty?

[Veggie PAK]

I apparently have chokecherry bushes in my yard by the fence. I was going to pull them out, but before that I am trying to find out if the berries can be used for anything good to eat. If I allow the bushes to continue to grow, will I regret it? Are they a problem bush? They seem to be getting ready for an abundance of berries, but I don't want to dispose of them if I can make something good out of the berries. I appreciate all views on this issue. I have a picture under my info somewhere on here, but I can't get it to this topic sheet.

 

[journey11]

I'd just read about consuming chokecherries last month when I borrowed Nature's Garden, by Samuel Thayer from my local library. I did not know before that they were edible because my mom always made a point to tell us kids that EVERYTHING was poisonous when we were kids, I guess to keep us out of trouble. I did not have a foraging mentor until I met my husband's father, who was a real wild man of the woods. But anyhow, I've seen them before, but never in great number, so I would say that they probably aren't invasive. I figure the birds eat most of the berries before they can hit the ground. The book above will tell you everything you need to know about them and also how to prepare them. It's a really great book for anyone interested in foraging, but should be read as a companion to his first book, The Forager's Harvest. Chokecherries are mentioned in it as well, if you can't find the other.

 

[Sunsaver]

We don't have chokecherry here but we have lots of wild black cherry. It makes the best tasting jelly on earth.

 

[RidgebackRanch]

Before I left the land of cheese (Wisconsin) for the arid west, mom used to make chokecherry jelly. It took lots of sugar but I remember it being pretty tasty. Give it a try.

 

[cityfarmer]

I have not made chockcherry jelly or syrup but my husbands family did when he was a kid. Now I buy chockcherry syrup as a special treat for him since I don't have access to chockcherries. It is especially tasty with buckwheat pancakes. He remembers picking chockcherries by the bucket load to get what they needed. I don't know how much they made though.