Need to identify this tree!

[JJack887]

I have some kind of cherry tree and it's blooming with fruit right now. But I'm not sure what kind it is. It produces tiny, sourish fruit that's mostly pit. I'm wondering if these are edible and would need to be pitted for fermentation. Thanks! View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1470248226.402303.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1470248252.683701.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1470248270.916318.jpg

 

[trav77]

Looks like a chokecherry to me. (?).

 

[porterpounder]

Wild black cherry? Maybe chokecherry?
http://www.all-creatures.org/pica/ftshl-cherry-bl.html

 

[unionrdr]

Chokecherry. The pit is the biggest part of it. the Native Americans used it to preserve meats. It's certainly sour enough to do that. Takes a lot of sweetening to make anything edible from them.

 

[trav77]

Yep they grow wild in a lot of regions. Makes great jelly!

 

[JonM]

PM Yooper. She has all sorts of cool chokecherry recipes.

 

[JJack887]

Awesome!!! Very stoked right now.

 

[JJack887]

Thank you, guys. Now to make a chokecherry mead.

 

[trav77]

Cool. Let us know how it turns out if you use them. They grow in the river coulees here in Alberta but I've never used them in brewing.

 

[JonM]

Couldn't hurt to double check with the local university extension though ...

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/newsrelease/2004/090904/07makesu.htm

 

[trav77]

Yeah poisoning yourself is not endorsed by HBT or its patrons.

 

[JJack887]

Turns out it's wild black cherry. Not quite ripe enough yet, but will use them along with blueberries from a local farm later in the month. Thank you for the buckthorn warning. I didn't know about those.

 

[JohnSand]

My experience with wild cherries/chokecherry is that they become sweet if conditions are right and you time it right. We wanted to be Indians growing up, and ate all kinds of berries.

 

[unionrdr]

I've never known chokecherries to get sweet. A lil less sour maybe...up here.