Chokecherry

Chokecherry is invaluable in our landscapes and creates a truly wonderful food source. They're called Chokecherries because of their astringency- the Gitksan peoples name for Chokecherry means "it makes your mouth and throat so that nothing will slip on it, which is a great description of how they make your mouth feel when eaten raw. They put on a show of blooms in the spring that perfume the air with an incredible fragrance. Their fruits are ready to eat in August once they've turned a dark dark red, almost black colour. At this point they have less astringency and more sweetness. They are fantastic in preserves, jellies, fruit leather, and beverages, but I learned the best way to eat them from foraging expert Linda Black Elk. She recommends grinding up the chokecherry fruit with their pits with a mortar and pestle until they're a paste. Then spread the paste out thinly on a tray and dry in the sun. The sun exposure and drying of the pits neutralizes their cyanide making it safe to eat. After drying, this is a lovely snack and the pits give the choke cherry fruits a nice almondy flavour. This is one of the traditional ways indigenous peoples process these fruits. Chokecherry is also incredibly hardy and feeds a ton of wildlife. They are absolutely filled with birds when the cherries are ripe. We certainly think they deserve a better name than 'Choke' cherry!