Hi, I live inEast Kootenay, B.C. I have a berry bush in my backyard that I thought was a goose berry bush, but I think I am wrong. I would like to know if these berries are edible before I make them into jam. Silly me, I thought they were goose berries and ate some yesterday. Sweet, yet a little tart. Good size pit in berry. I just picked 4 lb. Thanks in advance!
Thank you! I think it may be as well. It better be. Lol. It's washed and ready to be turned into something;)
Fiorella, that is not a Choke Cherry, which has much finer teeth on the leaves than your bush. Also the fruiting habit is wrong; choke cherries grow in clusters like sparse grape clusters. I'm not sure what you actually have.
Hmm. Thanks for your post. Now I am really confused! I have seen clusters of 3 or 4. I just thought since the bush was old, the bush does not cluster like grapes anymore.
Here are two more pics up close. One showing leaves and the other a cluster of berries. The bush does not produce long grape like clusters. Just mini clusters.
Absolutely right Ron! Looks exactly it. Brilliant. Thanks. Off to make my cherry liquor now! Cheers to all posts.
Hello there I find them once in Anchorage and since it is nagging me. I loved the fruit which is much more pleasant than choke cherry which I also love. Thank you Ron for identification, and Fiona for the post. I can look for a stock now:))
I have two bushes. One old and the other fairly young I would say. About 8 ft apart. Not sure about pollination. But wasps and humming birds sure love nanking cherries.!
I would say cross pollination is not necessary in Nanking cherry, since the plant has both sexes on one, but always better because the fruits taste better. In the case of self pollination flowers look lot more perfect though.
Having perfect flowers (with both pistils and stamens) doesn't indicate anything about cross-pollination requirements. Typical fruit trees that need cross-pollination, such as some apple and cherry varieties, all have perfect flowers. I haven't grown any Nanking Cherries, but information on the Web indicates that they require cross-pollination. If they are cloned varieties, two different ones will be needed. If they are seedling plants, they will automatically be different varieties.
