It’s no secret, I love the visual glory that each season brings… to the skies and to the landscape. But I also appreciate what each season produces; fresh herbs for cooking, infinite flower varieties, a rainbow of colored foliage, the fruits, the nuts, the grasses. It’s all magical to me!
Chokecherries, however, never have been on my list for fall harvesting. But this year curiosity got the better of me. One day while my husband was on a bike ride near our house, he saw a couple pull up to a large bush and begin picking from it. He didn’t recognize the fruit. The next day when we drove by the same shrub, I did a little investigating and realized we have that very same berry growing on our bushes at home, something we value as a “privacy fence” between ourselves and our neighbors. I did some further research and found it was indeed a wall of chokecherry bushes. And we had loads of them ripe with fruit, ready for picking right there, lining our driveway!
Now… what to do with the chokecherries?! Most of my searching led to chokecherry syrup, seemingly the most popular usage. But what intrigued me to follow through with this mission was ultimately a cocktail recipe using the said syrup. Done!
I set out picking. I filled my bowl, brought them in and de-stemmed every last little berry. I did also taste test the fruit, knowing that they are virtually inedible due to their tart, acidic nature. Also please note, the pit (like a mini apricot pit) is poisonous. Not that you’d want to eat this little pebble, but don’t… just in case.
The rest involves cooking and sugar and straining and canning, if you are into that sort of thing… which I happen to love. You can find the recipe and instructions here. The ultimate goal, however, had still not been met. After hearing that satisfying “pop” from every last jar, I was already on to the next mission. The cocktail.
I found a recipe for the Aronia Sour, a more beautiful version of the standard Whiskey Sour which substitutes the traditional Canadian Maple Syrup with the glorious hand picked, hand crafted Chokecherry syrup. The results? A bright fuscha colored, warming, earthy, sweet and sour delight. All that work was worth it! Hooray for fall and its bounty… and for something I didn’t have to spend all spring and summer planting, watering and tending to. All that from a plain old bush, growing right in our own yard and maybe in yours too! Keep an eye out… turns out they are everywhere around here! Thank you chokecherry bushes!
Aronia Sour Recipe:
(serves 2 since you should never drink alone, but if you do, more for you!)
4 oz Whiskey
2 oz Chokecherry syrup
Juice of one medium sized lemon
(Adjust sweet and sour to your preferences)
Add ingredients and ice to a shaker, shake for one minute then pour into a chilled coup glass. For the ultimate treat, add an egg white after the first minute of shaking and shake an additional minute. Then pour into the coup. Add a sprig of Rosemary if you really want to spruce it up.
… and ENJOY!
P.S. If you don’t fancy yourself a chokecherry syrup maker, this specialty item may not be found in your local grocery store (which makes it all the more special) but it may be purchased at the following online resource. Now… there are no excuses!! Try something new!
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