Dwarf cherries

Prunus spp.

fruit

Small red shrub cherries, tangy, picked in summer for jams and pies: Nanking cherry, sand cherry, Chinese ouli.

Origin

Northern China, Mongolia, North America and the Mediterranean

Where to find it

Sand cherry grows on dunes and the sandy shores of the Great Lakes and Manitoba; its Asian cousins, on the dry hills of Mongolia and northern China.

Season (United States)

June to July · grows in your region

Preparation

The fruits are rinsed and eaten raw, fully ripe, spitting out the seeds or stone; they are also cooked into jam or juice.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Pectins · Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

Nanking cherry withstands −40 °C: it is planted in gardens on the Canadian Prairies.