Knowledgebase
Wild Cherries #206488
Asked August 13, 2014, 2:00 PM EDT
Are wild cherries edible?
Lincoln County Kentucky
Expert Response
The, "Wild cherries" descriptor covers a very large number of species as listed on the Wikipedia site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry Some species are a lot more edible than others. For example the Chokecherry is not very edible, but it makes a nice jelly. Prunus avium, the sweet cherry is very edible as is Prunus cerasus, the sour cherry. Another common cherry in Kentucky is Prunus serotina, the black cherry, wild
black cherry etc. The fruit of this cherry is edible and used for jam, pies etc. However the seeds are relatively high in compounds that will produce cyanide. Consequently crushing theseeds in the preparation process is not recommended.
Thus I would suggest identifying the wild cherry species before deciding to consume it. A twig, leaf and fruit sample could be dropped off at your local county extension
office for identification.
black cherry etc. The fruit of this cherry is edible and used for jam, pies etc. However the seeds are relatively high in compounds that will produce cyanide. Consequently crushing theseeds in the preparation process is not recommended.
Thus I would suggest identifying the wild cherry species before deciding to consume it. A twig, leaf and fruit sample could be dropped off at your local county extension
office for identification.