To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] cornus mas,are they really as good as people say
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:50:52 -0500
Mine has sour red fruit. It was very sour and a little crunchy when underripe. When fully ripe it was soft and had a richer flavor, but was still very sour. I'm fond of 'sour red fruit' and I enjoyed it both ways. My husband disliked it under ripe, and found it tolerable fully ripe. Friends who tried it fully ripe had mixed reactions -- one took some seeds to plant. I haven't tried to cook it, but imagine it would make a nice jam with some sugar. (but separating the fruit from the pit would be a nuisance.)
So, I'm a big fan. I found it hard to restain myself from eating it all under-ripe (so that I could try it ripe.) but if you don't care for sour fruit, I wouldn't waste space on it.
The flowers on mine are tiny and uninteresting. Not much of an ornamental.
-- Ginda
mark wessel wrote:
First let me say that the only cornus mas I am familiar with is the one they use in many old gardens around Cincinnati. They all seem the same. I have heard people rave about the fruit. To me its just this sour red fruit. I have even picked them off the ground having a dark red bing cherry color. They are still sour. Are the cultivars better tasting. Is cooking when they come into there own. Do they transform into a whole different beast when cooked like serviceberry. I am just trying to love them.
Are there varieties that have brighter yellow flowers?