Bitter cherries

[MClan]

We have a cherry tree nearby but the fruit was horrendously bitter. Please tell me that I didn't try to poison myself (or my son whom I am still breastfeeding) and is there anything to be done with it or do I just need to find some sweet ones if the birds haven't had them all! Karen

[TheTweedCat]

If you're lucky it might be a morello cherry tree, they're mostly too sour to eat (even the very ripe ones taste like those sour cherry sweets) but they make lovely sauces, cordial, cherry brandy, pies, jam, wine, etc. My dad has a tree and we have just exchanged a day's picking labour for a few kilos of cherries!

You could try identifying it with this guide: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/files ... -64272.pdf

[MClan]

Thanks for that. Sadly there are none left but they were bitter rather than sour. I'm very envious of your load of cherries though!

[Ash Blue]

Wild cherry (Prunus avium) contains hydrogen cyanide. It's in very small doses, but the bitter taste is more of it. So it's better to avoid the bitter ones.

[British Red]

All members of the prunus family (plums, sloes, gages, cherries ) contain cyanogenic glycosides in the foliage pips and stones. So do apples! You would have to eat a LOT to cause any ill effect though (of stones or foliage)

Red

[Somnophore]

I have been looking for nice wild cherries for last couple of years, found one tree but hard to pick as very tall.

Most cherries are bird cherries a not edible (not poisonous just taste horrible) and are planted for orimental purposes, largely only tell by tasting whether they are edible or not.