I completed picking Chokecherries on Friday morning. It was a great ten days of picking. We started picking July 29 and picked off and on through August 7th. My baby brother and his bride picked many days....they found some great berries and scouted some new picking areas. I enjoy picking...the quiet of the woods and the plink plink of the berries as they fall into my bucket.
There are still some chokecherries to ripen and a really tall tree was left for the birds...I found a nice stand and told my other baby brother it would get better if he took some of his equipment and took out some brush and let the sunlight in!
I froze enough juice for three batches of jelly. I steamed juice for my baby brother so he has 20 plus cups in the freezer...he said he would make jelly next winter. He shared chokecherries with Jo, Aunt Anna and our Mom.
Chokecherries bloom in early spring and many times frost takes care of the flowers. So we never know from one year to the next if it will be a good harvest or not.
My new juicer/steamer worked great! I put it away until Crabapples...we will see if we can find some for a batch of Crabapple Jelly.
Someone asked me what chokecherry jelly tastes like...it is tart, fruity, and floral...it doesn't compare to any other flavor.
I give away most of the jelly that we make...it makes a nice gift! I had 30 jars and 5 have been gifted already.
Far Side
Wow! I never knew anyone that did anything with choke cherries! That's very cool. When I was a kid we had a big tree in the back yard but mostly what I remember about it was that it dropped fruit into my sandbox. I think we have a tree here, will have to go into the back and check it out. No branches low enough to pick though.
ReplyDeleteWell done! I have no motivation at all.
ReplyDeleteSure sounds like you were able to find plenty this year!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Far Guy's Cousin's husband dying. Don't blame you for not going the funeral Can't believe you have that many jars of jelly. Don't think I have ever tasted chokeberry jelly. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried chokecherry jelly. One blogging friend went online to Amazon and found some for sale and ordered it. I might just have to do the same, although I don't use jam or jelly on my toast. I am curious, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in South Dakota I enjoyed many a gift of Chokecherry Jelly. I always looked for it at farm stands.
ReplyDeleteA bountiful harvest. I went to a farmers market with my daughter Saturday morning. And I bought a small jar of Corn Cob jelly - something I haven't had since I was a kid. Can't wait to taste it.
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Delicious fruit.
ReplyDeleteCrab apple jelly is by far my favorite!
ReplyDeleteYou've had a successful Chokecherry season and made excellent use of the new juicer/steamer! Isn't it great when you buy a new product that actually works well as it was intended!
ReplyDeleteThat was such a wonderful harvest of chokecherries! Good for you. Lots of jelly and now you get to plan for the next crop. Apples!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
you have picked a lot of berries over there. There are many around here also, we just make sure they don't grow anywhere near the horse pasture. Other family members are picking too!
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of chokecherries, but would probably like the jelly made from them. Well, I just read Leah's comment. If they have chokecherries in SC, we may have them in NC. I need to Google that.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a big year for chokecherries. Besides its great flavor, it’s really a pretty color. Kind of like ruby with the light through it. Now you can rest until crabapple season.
ReplyDeleteI can tell this is something you really enjoy doing. And you answered my question about what you do with all of that jelly.
ReplyDeleteYou are so cool doing what you do I would be clueless
ReplyDeleteIt must have been a great year for chokecherries. Nice that your steamer works so well.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a nutty flavor to it as well.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been keeping pretty busy with all those chokecherries. What a generous heart you have to give away so much of it. I'm sure your gifts are greatly appreciated. And I love hearing all about the process and seeing the beautiful finished product!
ReplyDeleteOoh, your friends and family are lucky! I notice my neighbour's crabapples are ripening up nicely. I've never seen them pick them though, I suspect they leave them for the birds.
ReplyDeleteTake care and stay well!
A late frost wiped out many of the wild berries in our area. The bears are roaming for food. Poor things.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your new juicer/steamer got a good workout and made the job a little easier. What a yummy gift for the lucky recipients.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you could make anything with choke cherries. They are not popular trees here because under certain circumstances their leaves are very toxic so most horse farms cut them down :-/.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! That's nice you can freeze the juice and make jelly later too.
ReplyDeleteYour jelly reminds me of my wife's late cousin who loved the choke cherries. She would talk about family life of her dad in Minnesota including the choke cherries.
ReplyDeleteThat really is a lot of jelly. Thanks for explaining about the flavour... I've never had it, so did wonder.
ReplyDelete