Using Choke Cherries

 

 

Did you know that you can make great jam/jelly and other desserts with choke cherries? They are tiny but the trees are full of them. They have such a delicious, strong cherry flavour. If using the pits, as well, it will have almond tones too! The recent fear has been the cyanide in the pits and the choke cherries are mostly pit. It's difficult to separate the pit from the fruit due to the tiny size. 

Choke Cherry Blossoms

 

 

The kernels inside the shells or pits, contain amygdalin, a compound that the human body converts into cyanide after consuming. Other fruit pits that contain this substance are plums, rose hips, apples, hawthorns and a few others. 

The cyanide can me denatured by cooking, making it harmless and, so I've read, by drying thoroughly. Do not under any circumtances, eat the pits raw, without boiling well first. If you grind up the choke cherries, make wine or a drink without boiling well first, don't blame me if you get cyanide poisoning. If you cook the choke cherries in a large pot, barely covered with water, this will make the cyanide harmless. It has to be boiled for about 15 mins to be safe. 

Choke Cherry Leaves

I like to freeze anything I'm going to process into juice for jams/jellies, drinks or wine first, before processing. The freezing breaks down the cell walls and releases a lot more juice. Then I blender for a bit before boiling. Add a bit of water in a big pot and boil hard for 15 mins. It takes that long, at least, to get them well juiced and the excess water boiled off. After its been well boiled and cooled, it gets strained through a cheesecloth or large coffee filter. I usually let it sit and cool overnight. This also gives the extra water time to evaporate.

This resulting juice is, of course, unsweetened. The secret to making delicious jelly without the bitterness from wild things, is to use just the juice. Don't squeeze the fruit pulp at all, just let it slowly drip out. Then gently toss out the pulp and seeds. I process high bush cranberries like this, as well.. 

Make jelly with the strained juice, adding a lot of sugar. If you use the sugarless pectin, you can sweeten to taste. It will take a lot more sugar than you are used to putting in jams. I usually start the very sour wild things with an amount of sugar that has been about equal with the amount of juice. Add more sugar, as needed, 1/2 cup at a time until you reach the taste you want. Because you have used the pits too, it will have a slight added almond flavour, which I love.

We have an abundance of red Canadian choke cherry trees around town. There are a few around the Rec Center, one right by the front door to the Visitor's Center, several planted around the water plant at the other end of town along the trail, and some here and there about town. You can tell them by their red foliage in mid summer. They are everywhere! These trees have lots of tiny choke cherries on them. If you want to pick them, you'll have to beat the birds to it! I have one in my backyard and the birds eat them all, scattering the seeds to grow up into tiny choke cherry trees everywhere. If you want a baby tree, see me in the spring after everything starts growing in the yard. 

I'm sure the town would be happy for residence to start gathering the choke cherries from the trees. I might be doing that myself this summer.  

RECOURCE:   https://foragerchef.com/eating-the-whole-cherry/