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Cornus Mas Fruit worth eating?

19 years ago

I was interested in some of the new varieties of Cornas mas with larger fruit. What is your views on it's Taste? I have tries some fruit off of an old tree and the fruit was small and not very good. Are some of the newer varietied worth planting for fruit and if so what varieties do you recommend? Thanks, David

Comments (10)

  • 19 years ago

    talked about here.
    http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/edible/msg010026341647.html

    Also, some people have commented cornus kousa taste better than cornus mas.

    I've also been thinking about getting some, but when their price tag is higher than the best apple varieties its hard to justify buying them.

  • 19 years ago

    David,
    I've only sampled the fruit from unselected seedlings, so I can't comment on the 'named'/grafted selections. Very tart and somewhat astringent until dead, mushy ripe. Even then, some folks compare it to cranberry-flavored cardboard. I've not seen anyone who's grown the named cultivars indicate that they're tastier than unnamed seedlings.
    Nice ornamental, due to its very early spring(Feb-March here in southern KY) bloom. Fall color is nothing to write home about - rarely even develops any color - certainly not the crimson of C.florida or C.kousa.

  • 19 years ago

    Dead-ripe, IMHO, they're fantastic (cardboard and cranberries would not be remotely comparable). My problem is finding them dead-ripe, so they're basically ornamentals for me too. My experience is with a variety of large-fruited seedlings from Romania.

  • 16 years ago

    When I was young, we always made Cornelian cherry jams and compotes.

    Even though the name has "cherry" in it, it is not similar to cherries except for its color. The seed inside is large, so berry doesn't have much flesh. Don't look at photos that nurseries advertise, the berry is really not that attractive in person. The fruit is sour and flavorless. It can be eaten only when it is dead ripe, or when in falls of the bush and lays for a couple of days.

    So knowing that cornus mas is not that tasty, I still like having a few bushes in my yard, because I like to have a variety of fruits, and I can always buy regular cherries at a store.

  • 13 years ago

    In my country in is tradition to make cornus mas liquer - very tasty :)

  • 13 years ago

    Oh, that gives me ideas -- vinegar!

  • 13 years ago

    I tried a Cornus mas as the Lehman Orchard: one out of 2 hand-fulls was excellent - same shrub-tree.

    I had a single fruit off of my C. mas 'Yellow' [TM] cv. 'Yantarnii' - it was very good, and tasted very much different from the one at the Lehman Orchard.

    I'm considering getting Pioneer (cv. Lykyanovskii) - as it has a very good reputation; 'Red Star' also has a good reputation, but I think it said to an unreliable cropper.

    I have room for two, but for another - it might be a waste-of-space...

    The variety is known as 'Black Plum' (from John Gordon): Lee Reich told me that it's his favorite, of those he's so far tried.

    Anyone else try 'Black Plum' - I can see the yellow being different in taste, but I wonder if there's a difference between the selections of red-fruited and, also, black-plum.

    Thanks,
    Steve

  • 13 years ago

    Fresh cornelian cherry is... special... some like it, some not.
    But preserves are very nice. The syrup is so flavorful that we used to make a manner of cold tea with it.
    And it is very healthy.

  • 13 years ago

    We were told that you need to be careful on how much you eat. The birds and such aren't bothered by them, but they are a "spring tonic". I think I'd stick to regular cherries, and enjoy the shrub or tree just as it is for it's ornamental qualities!

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