Chokecherry Syrup anyone?

We discovered Chokecherries in our back yard and decided to pick them and see what we could make. I wanted jam, but my cook said no, not enough pulp. That meant jelly or syrup. I don't particularly like jelly because it doesn't spread, and I also like the chunks of fruit in jam. So, we got syrup.

These photos pretty well tell the story. About a half gallon of fruit made just over four pints of syrup.

I knew the Chokecherries were there. It's hard to miss the fragrance of their blossoms when they are in bloom. It's kind of like having a perfume factory in your back yard, except the fragrance is much nicer than anything man
can make. They aren't too hard to pick and we had around a gallon in about 30 minutes. Probably the hardest part was picking the stems off which you can see Ellie is really good at. That's why I let her do it.

So now my mouth is watering for Ellie's delectable pancakes with Chokecherry syrup. Doesn't that sound delicious? If you show up at our house and stick around to have breakfast, If you are really lucky it might be pancake day!

Ellie's Chokecherry Syrup

8 cups of Chokecherries
8 cups of sugar
1 cup white corn syrup

Clean cherries and remove stems. Place cherries in a pot and just cover with water. Boil until fruit is soft and separating from pit. Strain juice. You should have about four cups. Add sugar and corn syrup to juice and boil for ten minutes. Pour into jars and seal.

It's going to be tart, and perhaps a little bitter for some so you may want to mix it with another kind of fruit syrup to enhance the taste.