Is the Nanking bush pie cherry a member of the order Prunus? In other words is it a real cherry? Thanks ,this is my first time to post.
I think in the right climate you can get a fair number of fruits from these but I don't think the size and succulence of an orchard pie cherry tree like 'Montmorency' is to be expected.
On our farm we had a 180-ft. wind break row of Nanking cherries. Being a wind break row, we did not give the plants everyday care. However, they were 5-7 foot bushes, and very full. We never got enough cherries out of the entire row to make a pie. - Millet
Millet, were the birds getting to the fruit crop first, perhaps? Nanking cherries are certainly not the size of the sour cherries that we can grow here, but the fruit is sweet and tasty, and makes good jam. I've never had them made into pie but it should be good - pitting would be a fussy job due to the small size, though.
My neighbour has a row of 10 year old bushes that are about 10 feet tall. She ordered the Nanking Cherry windbreak package of 10 seedlings from T & T Seeds and that deal is still available today (10 for $24.95). I'm trying the Giant Nanking Cherries carried by the same, they are supposed to be the size of a quarter versus the size of your thumbnail. Her NK's vary in height by about 2 feet and they vary in colour from peach through to dark red, but all of them produce like crazy (gallons per bush), are very tasty when quite ripe, and make great jam or jelly. I cook them in their own juice until they burst and then run them through my stainless steel foley food mill (or the knockoff from the Superstore!) to remove the pits. The jam has a hint of Chokecherry flavour in with the rich cherry flavour. Our while family loves it.
Facciola, CORNUCOPIA II (1998, Kampong Publications, Vista) lists the 'Drilea', 'Orient', 'Red Marble', 'White' and 'White Ruby' cultivars, says 'White' is "one of the sweetest and best flavored".
The Nanking Cherries that we had produced a cherry about the size of ones little finger nail. When we were out in the fields passing the row, by we might pick a berry or two and eat them, but the fruit was mostly seed. I never did think they were very tasty. However, in a jelly (which we never made) with all the sugar that one adds, I suppose they would be quite sweet. We have since disked them all under. - Millet
