I finished up a bunch of chokecherry jam the other day and was left with a whole whack of pulp and seeds after I processed the cherries through the food mill. Instead of tossing it, I put it to good use.
Put it all in my dehydrator and left it on for a day or so. Once dried I ground it up into chokecherry flour.
8lbs of chokecherries gave me this much dehydrated and ground 'waste'. Not a lot, but a little goes a long way, depending on use.
It can be used as a tea flavouring, a soup or gravy flavouring, as a flour substitute or extender (1/2 regular flour, 1/2 chokecherry flour). I love using it in bannock. It can be used to make pemmican, or jerky... What ever your want, it'll add a nice surprise to it.
If you've never used it before, don't worry. The dehydration takes the toxins out of the seeds so you won't get cyanide poisoning, and it also takes the astringency out and concentrates the sweetness in each cherry.
Mother Earth allows us her resources, so we should maximize what is given to us.
Bookmarks