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Wild Cherries
Would you believe that there are at least 4 types of wild cherries from which you can choose, depending on where you live?
The black wild cherries (Prunus serotina) come from a tree whose strong wood has long been used to make furniture. It has a beautiful reddish-brown grain which takes a stain really well. As it ages, it shines like mahogany and can last for generations. The wild cherries from this tree are usually mostly pit with a bare amount of fruit flesh around it. The taste is sweet at first with a bitter aftertaste and best used for making jams and hooch.
The next of the wild cherries is the choke cherry (Prunus virginiana). If you have one in your area, you know that it is good for the birds, and that's all it's good for! Not really, as there is some fabulous choke cherry jam out there! The fruit is very astringent and is mostly seed. It stains your clothing, your sidewalks and since the birds do love it, their droppings stain wherever they fall!
Finally, there are the two wild cherries known all across Europe, the bird cherries: Prunus avium and the purple-leafed Prunus padus, with its egg-shaped fruit. Our cultivated cherry trees are said to have been derived from Prunus avium and their variety spans the rainbow of flavor from sweetly sugary to acridly acidic.
The one thing all the wild cherries have in common is that their leaves contain cyanide and are toxic to animals that might chew them. What's worse is that as the leaves are shed in the fall, the cyanide becomes more concentrated and will thus do even more damage!
Let's not get too far astray with the negatives about wild cherries, OK? And to help end on a high note, here is a recipe from the Cherry Marketing Institute:
Couscous Salad with Wild Cherries
Ingredients
1 c Water
3/4 c Quick-cooking couscous -uncooked
1/2 c Dried tart cherries
1/2 c Coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 c Chopped unpeeled cucumber
1/4 c Sliced green onions
1/4 c Toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 tb Balsamic vinegar
tb Olive oil
1 tb Dijon-style mustard
Salt and pepper; to taste
Instructions
Bring water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous.
Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Uncover; let cool 10 minutes.
Put cooked couscous, dried wild cherries, carrots, cucumber, green onions and pine nuts in a large bowl; mix well. Combine vinegar, olive oil and mustard in a small container; mix well. Pour over couscous mixture; stir to coat all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
The black wild cherries (Prunus serotina) come from a tree whose strong wood has long been used to make furniture. It has a beautiful reddish-brown grain which takes a stain really well. As it ages, it shines like mahogany and can last for generations. The wild cherries from this tree are usually mostly pit with a bare amount of fruit flesh around it. The taste is sweet at first with a bitter aftertaste and best used for making jams and hooch.
The next of the wild cherries is the choke cherry (Prunus virginiana). If you have one in your area, you know that it is good for the birds, and that's all it's good for! Not really, as there is some fabulous choke cherry jam out there! The fruit is very astringent and is mostly seed. It stains your clothing, your sidewalks and since the birds do love it, their droppings stain wherever they fall!
Finally, there are the two wild cherries known all across Europe, the bird cherries: Prunus avium and the purple-leafed Prunus padus, with its egg-shaped fruit. Our cultivated cherry trees are said to have been derived from Prunus avium and their variety spans the rainbow of flavor from sweetly sugary to acridly acidic.
The one thing all the wild cherries have in common is that their leaves contain cyanide and are toxic to animals that might chew them. What's worse is that as the leaves are shed in the fall, the cyanide becomes more concentrated and will thus do even more damage!
Let's not get too far astray with the negatives about wild cherries, OK? And to help end on a high note, here is a recipe from the Cherry Marketing Institute:
Couscous Salad with Wild Cherries
Ingredients
1 c Water
3/4 c Quick-cooking couscous -uncooked
1/2 c Dried tart cherries
1/2 c Coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 c Chopped unpeeled cucumber
1/4 c Sliced green onions
1/4 c Toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 tb Balsamic vinegar
tb Olive oil
1 tb Dijon-style mustard
Salt and pepper; to taste
Instructions
Bring water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous.
Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Uncover; let cool 10 minutes.
Put cooked couscous, dried wild cherries, carrots, cucumber, green onions and pine nuts in a large bowl; mix well. Combine vinegar, olive oil and mustard in a small container; mix well. Pour over couscous mixture; stir to coat all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve chilled or at room temperature.
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1. Vegetarian recipes
2. Smoothie recipes
How? It's easy!
Privacy policy:
Your email address is safe;
we NEVER share our list.
