choke cherrys

[corn field]

Have been watching the choke cherries for two weeks now. So today was the day to pick. I had cleaned the prymary ferminter and got the 5 gallon carboy cleaned and sanitized only thing left to do was pick them . Left the house at 9am got to the patch and to my shagrin some one had beat me to them

. The moral to this is don't count your wine before it is ferminted and get up earlier to beat the Amish. Was able to gleen 3lbs enough for a 1gal batch.
Went by my cousons house to wish her a happy 91 birthday and told her of my plight. She told me there was a large patch of choke cherries and elder berries at the back of her field only acessible by going through her property so I checked it out. Ureka we are now back on for the 5gal batch. Elder berries will be ready in about a week. also found a nice patch of wild plumbs. So now I am a happy camper. I will need about 25lbs because the wife wants to make small batch of choke jelly.

 

[smurfe]

Glad it worked out for you. I have a bottle of the Polish Wine Princess's Choke Cherry here but am letting it age at her request. Can't wait to try it. Get those elderberries to. They make a fantastic wine. Closest you will come to a dry Cabernet using a fruit (not that a grape isn't a fruit but you get the idea).

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

I know the feeling to be keeping an eye on them, hope mine stay put till I pick!

Great it worked out in the end, the choke jelly sounds good too!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Smurfe...I call our Chokecherry Wine...'Poor Man's Cabernet'....

Drink that bottle of Chokecherry Wine!!!!

 

[corn field]

got enough chokes today to make a good 5gal batch and to do 2 batches of jelly.
To my surprise I ran into a small patch of wild grapes that were ripe picked 6lbs, will have to go and check the large patch that I have been watching. havent checked them in over a week. 2 more weeks and elderberries will be ready to pick. Every thing has been cleaned baged and in the freezer for a few days before ferminting.

 

[Waldo]

How do all of you process your elderberries to juice them. Anyone ever used their steamer/juicer, if so, do you throw in stems and all? How about seperating the green one from the ripe ones?

 

[NorthernWinos]

The Chokecherries are ripening up here in Northwest Minnesota...

Some are still red and some are turning black.....

Some of you who notice a purple leafed tree in your towns boulevards should check them out...the may be a Canada Red Cherry..or..Schubert Chokecherry...they do produce fruit too....

I noticed ours today...they tree was just shaking with robin's...[they have nested in there a couple times this year]....I went out and looked and there wasn't one cherry left on the tree.

The Canada Red Cherry tree is susceptible to black knot disease...as well as the wild Chokecherries....You can spot the Chokecherry trees in the winter because of the fungus growing on the branches.

I went to a garden conference and a woman said she had a Cancerous Red Cherry tree...everyone laughed...but we all knew what she meant.

Nice trees, but need maintenance...got to trim out the fungus.



Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Those look to be about the same stage they arein down here NW. Wont be long! Edited by: JWMINNESOTA

 

[Aaronh]

Picked these yesterday, 2hours,and got a one gallon freezer bag of cleaned choke cherrys 1/2 hours cleaning. Theres alot moreout on the hill but they are still not ripe yet. The plums are still green up there, hope they mature before winter rushes in.

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[JWMINNESOTA]

Good score Aaronh, I may go out tomorrow and do a little selective picking myself, at least see where there at now.