Yes they are edible, but various critters got most them before we ever did. Eventually we planted fruit trees instead and had much better success. More info: http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Prunus+besseyi&CAN=COMIND
This is Homesteader - can't log in properly for some reason. We have several of the Hansen's Bush cherry and we love them. The trick is let them get purple-ripe, really really dark, almost black, and very smushy. They do make the most delicious jam I've ever made. The seeds (pits?) are terrible to remove though for jam making and we finally started putting them through the Victorio strainer, we put them through twice. It's a lot of extra work but the jam really is that good.
I have to agree with the Unregisteer Homesteader. We have a bush cherry tree and last year we canned about 4 pints of cherry jam from it and we just thought we was in heaven while eating it on toast.
We have Nanking Bush Cherries (6 bushes) and 1 Hansens Bush Cherry that are now 4 years old. This is our second year of picking and have sooo many cherries that we told neighbors to come and pick. Made 18 pint jars of jam this year - 6 last year.
I have 3 bushes of the Nanking Cherries and they are about 4 years old. They have not produced any fruit. What is the time table for production and is there anything that I can do to get them to produce? Thanks. Stacie
