Cornelian Cherry Juice

This is cornelian cherry juice. Pat made it by boiling cornelian cherries (with pits) in water for about a half an hour. 

Then he strained it and heated the juice with sugar until the sugar dissolved. 

(This is the ratio: 5 kilo cherries – 6 liters of water – 5 cups of sugar We had significantly less cherries in this batch)

The result is a thick juice that is totally drinkable on its own, but we like to cut it with homemade bubbly water.

Last year, my sister-in-law mixed yummy cocktails with it. I think she treated it like cranberry juice and mixed it with vodka. 

Like cranberries, cornelian cherries have similar antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties and are great for the urinary tract. 

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We have a few cornelian cherry trees, which are actually in the dogwood family, on our property. It took us a while to appreciate them. We’ve harvested them by holding a sheet under the tree and shaking it, and we’ve also picked them by hand.

You can eat them off the tree if they are really dark and squishy. Otherwise, they are quite tart. 

We’ve found that one of our trees was completely harvested by squirrels because the branches are stronger and able to support their bodies. 

The tree in these photos was left alone by squirrels because the branches are droopier and floppier – which incidentally made it easier to harvest. 

Have you ever had a cornelian cherry? It’s a nice choice for our midwestern climate if you are looking for a homegrown fruit that is halfway between cherries  and cranberries.