chokeberries

koolieaided

Are red chokeberries okay to eat. I’m on a college campus and they grow everywhere I’m tempted to taste one, but at the same time I’m cautious about it. I hear that dark ones are high in antioxidants. I’ve never seen the sold anywhere. Just wonder if they are okay to taste.

newbie

According to this website, chokeBerries are edible and typically used in jams: http://www.djroger.com/viking%20chokeberry.htm

Although, make sure you identify them correctly, because according to this site, chokeCherries are poisonous: http://www.gardenline.usask.ca/fruit/choke.html

Be careful ;-)

dirtgoddess

It was a berry that was eaten often by Native Americans. I would take advantage of the fruit that nature is giving you. Where I live there are wild Blackberry and Raspberry so in the summer time the kids and I go berry picking. Have fun and enjoy

alpdesigns

I live in Capulin, NM for part of the year. Capulin is an Indian/Spanish word for chokecherry. My antique shop there is called Chokecherry Collectibles. The berries are edible but are tart and astringent. The pits contain hydrocyanic acid, a toxic ingredient.

The trees surround my shop and the neighbors come to gather what the birds don’t eat to make wine and jelly. They need added sugar. No one there eats them raw.

The Indians called the full moon of July, Black Cherry Moon. That’s when chokecherries are ripe. They’re only ripe for a few days and then the wind or the birds get them.

queenfluff

Yes, they are good – a bit tart. My bf made a raw pie out of them one year – just make sure they are indeed chokeberries (choke cherries – they are sometimes called) – some red berries can be good look-a-likes for other things and not be edible.

redhouse

Just be careful that they are not near where they might be sprayed. For example, if on campus, they are near a sidewalk that might be sprayed for weeds or something. I live on a university and they spray for things around here all the time.