Chokecherries are a big thing around here. Personally I dont see the draw, but people really like them i guess, for jams and syrups etc. I see people online selling them for $5/lb or more picked on facebook in local groups, etc. So Im thinking maybe I should put in a row or two for possible future youpick opportunities. when I search online Im only finding a few varieties available, common/black and then theres a red variety. What Im wondering is if theres been any breeding done to make better varieties than the standard common/black that grows wild around here in ND. Personally I dont think it would be hard to improve, berry size is small, pits are large compared to the amount of flesh, etc. Not saying I want to do a breeding project, but if theres anything better than the ‘standard’ available. Im interested in acquiring a few…
i ran across one awhile back but dont remember where. ive made jam with them but dont care for it. we have tons of wild ones growing everywhere here. i dont know anyone nowadays that harvests them other than the bears. interesting that there is a renewed interest in them. if you’re interested i have a purple leafed one in my yard. leaves are green then turn purple after the 4th. berries are typical to the wild ones but would hide your crop somewhat from the birds. ive never seen any black knot in it either even when several bushes near it have had it. could dig some suckers off of it in late sept once it goes dormant.
We have the purple leaved ones around here also. They are pretty common, but city folk dont wanna go drive around the country to find them Im guessing. One of my neighbors gave some some chokecherry jelly just recently, I tried it, but IMO its got nothing on my home made grape jam, I ended up throwing most of it away…
I do not recall where I found them, but I had these tucked away in my notes: ‘Bailey Select’, ‘Boughen’s Chokeless’, ‘Canada Red’, ‘Copper Schubert’, ‘Mini-Schubert’, ‘Purple Jewel’, ‘Robert’, ‘Schubert’
the only one i could find was canada red. U of UT says its a larger berry. Esty has them for $17. might be worth trying one and see. they also mentioned a cultivar called Boughens chokeless or Boughgens sweet. they mention some say its actually sweet but doesnt mention where to get them. im betting most of these are from Canada.
Another non/less astringent cultivar is Maskinonge.
My kids would never touch a chokeberry.
chokecherry or chokeberry? we’re talking chokecherry.
We have chokecherry in our backyard. I don’t recall ever picking them or doing anything with them. You need a lot of them to do anything with them and they call them chokecherry for a reason. You need to douse the chokecherry in sugar. I believe weird explorer did a video on chokecherries which is how I even learned they are edible. You do 1 cup sugar to 1 cup chokecherry. The reason it is so expensive is one it is online and two it is rare. People sell a pound of sapodilla online for 40 dollars, a pound of Warren pears will be around 35-40 dollars and a pound of Comice pears online will be 30 dollars. Fruit just sells for more online because it is more of a gift business oftentimes. Online fruit is also typically grown to perfection which is something people don’t take into account. There are exceptions at times of course. I remember growing peppers and I found I could have gotten a entire pound of them for something like 10 or 14 dollars online which would have been much more cost effective than buying a plant and growing them in CO. Another exception is some nuts. I was able to get a pound of hazelnuts online for 6 dollars online. In this case growing would be cheaper long term but they were pretty cheap seeding I got 2 cups for that amount. Like I said it is rare with not being sold in the grocery store so there is many who will pay those prices once before buying a tree or bush but those are one time sells. I know after finding out they were edible my grandma mentioned she did not know we had chokecherry growing and commented on why we are not making chokecherry jam. I told her it is simply not worth the work. Something like candied nuts I will spend hours on because they are so good. Not so much on chokecherry.
We have a huge crop of now ripe chokecherries. I haven’t ever bothered to harvest ours before. But I have picked about a gallon. I think the most recommended use is for pancake syrup. I might try a cordial recipes well as the syrup. We are on a river so if they are bountiful on high ground I assume there are more below. But don’t want to run in to a bear.
the ones around here are just coloring up. going to be a huge crop this year because of all the rain. ive made some jam with them in the past. its ok but not something id make again. bear do love them here also.
Chokecherry syrup for pancakes and waffles is definitely the way to go. It is a favorite for a number of people I know. We make more than we need and give some away for Christmas gifts. It is always well received!
ive found some jumbo size ones, though im unclear how much site conditions may have contributed to fruit size. i should know in a couple of years as i took some propagules from the two bushes i found. they were adjacent to each other, which to me would suggest site over genetics, though i suppose they could have been crapped out by the same bird or one might be a seedling of the other that retains genes for improved fruit size. the seed was bigger too, so the size difference of ~ 50% isnt as dramatic as you might think in terms of actual fruit.
i understand there is a yellow fruited cultivar out there. id be interested in acquiring that at some point.
We are using ours primarily for home made soda syrup. We like the dry finish of the soda. And of course some syrup for waffles. A winery in MT uses it for a wine that sells well. Local (for their own use) wine makers also like them as an addition to their wines.
In Anchorage you could not throw a stick far without hitting a tree. Same thing with elderberries, they are everywhere else. There is little point in taking valuable real estate when you could harvest by the bushel if you wanted to.
same here but elder is rare. ive only found 1 wild one here. some make chokecherry wine but besides that its not got much of a following. surprising as its so productive here. i pick them and give them to the chics.
Chokecherry here is pretty popular. People sell it quite a bit on facebook marketplace and those who know where good stands of bushes are, will rarely give out that information. Its not UNCOMMON, but its usually growing on private property where you should ask before picking. My neighbor was selling chokecherry and even had someone order 10lbs and wanted it shipped overnight to another state, I think he sold 10lbs for close to $200 with shipping included. Im thinking I should maybe plant a row on my 40 acres, because if I ever open a upick, I think it would be fairly popular for city people who dont want to search out bushes growing wild.
i need to start selling there then, as its growing everywhere here. got about 40 bushes all around my property. i could pick 50lbs pounds in a afternoon. every ditch and old field has them. unless its posted , its legal to pick there. highbush cranberry are equally abundant in wetter sites. got 8 of those on the edge of the property.
You guys must have a different variety because here they are pretty unpalatable. I did find them useful in a blended fruit wine for their tannins.
Im not sure they are any different, personally I have little interest in them also, they are unpalatable IMO. I can eat aronia fresh, but not as much chokecherry… Im guessing there is some nostalgia involved in peoples affinity for them.