Wild Black Cherry
Native to the United States, the Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotine v. serotina) is one of the fundamental trees of the American edible landscape. Its small black fruits feed multitudes of birds and mammals, and has served as a mainstay fruit in Native American diets. The tree in the eastern United States can grow in excess of 90 feet. Its leaves, roots, and bark are toxic, though a syrup has traditionally been made from the inner bark as a cold remedy, in which the amygdalin is broken down by boiling. Preserves have long been made with the fruit, as has Cherry bounce, a decoction of black cherry juice in brandy and sugar. The foliage in fall turns yellow, the blossoms in Spring are sprightly white. Its drooping foliage has never been greatly admired. The greatest admiration for the tree has been reserved for its wood, the red-brown coloration and grain of which contributed to many masterworks of early American cabinet-making.
The fruit of the Wild Black Cherry is small, from 1/3rd to ½ inch in size. It is black when ripe, and its dark coloration distinguishes it from the reddish Choke Cherry, another native denizen of the eastern forest. When it is ripe it is not astringent, like the choke cherry, but can have a mild bitter note. The fruit grows in clusters (see illustration above). By cooking the fruit with sugar, whatever bitterness the fruit may have, is overcome, and an excellent batch of preserves results. Here is a recipe from 1897.
Black Cherry Preserves
Gather the fruit carefully and weigh it. Allow three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. [Before adding the sugar], cook the fruit until the pits are easily seen; then strain it through a coarse sieve to remove the pits. Add the sugar to the strained fruit pul and boil it over the fire until it is a thick preserve. [New York Tribune (July 31, 1897), 5].
Wild Black Cherry grows naturally along the margins of forests, along fence lines and power lines (wherever birds perch in number), and in fields with a scattering of trees. (Choke Cherries thrive in the midst of forests.) During harvest season birds gorging on ripe fruit become intoxicated with the amygdalin and fall on the ground on fly into objects. This perhaps suggested to early American distillers that this fruit might be ideal for making brandy. Wild Cherry Brandy is currently sold by a number of producers, but seek those who don’t use the fruit as flavoring, but make the alcohol from a fermented wild cherry mash.
Thank you for sharing these. Most enjoyable.