"Bill McCarty" > wrote in message
...
> If you've eaten them safely then that's proof enough. We have
> these berries in NE PA. The birds seem to love them, at first. Later,
> the ground is littered,- not with dead birds, but with clumps of
> berries they have vomited up. That's proof enough for me. I don't
> know anyone here who eats them, suggesting strongly that we are talking
> about two different varieties.
>
> Good luck.
>
The kind I am talking about grows in bushes in the wild. In your yard, you
will mow down the sprouts that come up volunteer and if left alone, turn it
into a thicket.

The leaves are green, but turn a reddish brown in mid summer and fall. The
berries grow in clumps of 10 to 20, and turn from green to nearly black.
Around half of each berry is seed.

The birds will leave large blue spots of berries, but not from vomiting.
These came from the other end of the bird.

I believe Chokecherry jelly is the best tasting jelly I have ever eaten, if
made right. The trick is not to dilute the juice down too much before
making the jelly.

Dwayne