[willowman]

I have a large tree in the garden which produces loads of fruit each year, but I can't find out what it is.

The fruit is slightly smaller than a cherry, is red skinned with a red flesh. It is very firm (not soft like a cherry) and quite sour. It also has a large stone in the centre. The fruit hangs in clusters from thin stalks - again like a cherry.

Some people think it is a cherry of some sort, others feel it might be a crab apple.

Has anybody any idea what it might be? If it is a form of cherry, could it be edible? Thinking of making a jam of fruit liqueur from it.

[mumofstig]

A crab apple will have small seeds inside likean eating apple rather than 1 stone.

Don't suppose you have any photos ? they always help

[sunshineband]

Cutting one of the fruit in half will answer your question, as Mumofstig hinted at..

stone =cherry
pips= crab apple

[Kleftiwallah]

There is a tree bearing 'cocktail apples' these are quite small, round and sharp.    Cheers,     Tony.

[Yorkie]

Do ornamental cherries produce inedible / sour cherries?

[sunshineband]

Do ornamental cherries produce inedible / sour cherries?

We have some of those blowsy pink ones at school, as well as some more tasetful white ones.

The single flowered varieties seem to set cherries but not the doubles.

The cherries themselves are a bit on the sour side, and not as fleshy as varieties grown for their fruit, but perfecty edible if you cook them (or if you are a fox, a magpie or a blackbird  )

[solway cropper]

Do ornamental cherries produce inedible / sour cherries?

As far as I know all cherries are edible but some are just so sour as to be virtually inedible. We used to eat ornamental cherries as kids just to see who could suffer the most.

[Auntiemogs]

Could put them in brandy and sugar like morellos to make cherry brandy? 

[willowman]

Thanks for all the replies.

I will try to take photos later today.

I have cut some open, sometimes with my teeth (which is how I know they are sour!) and usually they do have one stone in the centre, but yesterday I opened one to find a core like an apple. Why is life not simple?

An ornamental cherry seems a good possibility, as they are definitely not fleshy but very firm.

I was actually thinking of making a cherry vodka with them, and a friend may try them for jam.