Extension > Food > Food Safety > Preserving and preparing > Fruits > Chokecherry syrup made from wild fruit
Chokecherry syrup made from wild fruit
Wild fruits from Minnesota's fields and woods can make very good syrups. Extraction of juice from the fruit is the first step in the preparation of fruit syrup.
- Use ripe chokecherries, wash in cool running water.
- Place in a stainless steel or enamel kettle.*
- Cover with water
- Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Cool and strain through cheesecloth or a damp jelly bag.
A pound of chokecherries will yield close to 2 cups of juice.
* When extracting juice from chokecherries DO NOT crush the seeds. These seeds contain a cyanide-forming compound which can cause illness or death if eaten in large amounts. Chokecherry recipes often mention crushing but this procedure should not be followed.
Making chokecherry syrup
- 4 cups chokecherry juice
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 package powdered pectin
Combine ingredients and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot, sterilized canning jars. Seal with two-piece canning lids. Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
Revised 2011 by Lou Ann Jopp. Peer reviewed 2009 by Deb Botzek-Linn.
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