JoeReal

Was fortunate to get some Capulin Cherry Selections from Ashok Tambwekar, a fellow CRFG member. Ashok is an officer of the Golden Gate CRFG chapter and is an afficionado of capulin cherries. Capulin cherries are wild prunus species on their own right. Similar in shape and size to sweet cherries but have the wild resinous flavor similar to semi-ripe tropical guavas which I enjoy. Not many Americans love the taste. Capulin cherries tend to be evergreen even in Davis, California.

Was amazed how easily the capulin cherry took on the capulin seedlings. These cherries never went dormant, but they were grafted using cleft grafting or whip and tongue. Below are excellent signs of takes and the descriptions provided by Ashok.

Emirich#1

By joereal at 2008-03-07

Emirich#2

By joereal at 2008-03-07

"Emerich #1" and "Emerich #2" are selections by noted Southern California plantsman and past CRFG president
George Emerich. "Emerich #1" is Ashok's overall favorite of the capulins that he has fruited. It produces the largest cherry, a nicely flavored fruit, but with fairly strong "wild" black cherry flavor notes.

La Roca Grande (front), Emirich #2 (middle) and Late Lomeli (back)

By joereal at 2008-03-07

"La Roca Grande" is a selection by Ben Poirier. The fruits have a slightly milder taste than "Emerich #1". They are a little smaller than "E. #1" fruits, and ripen to a dull reddish color. ("E. #1" fruits ripen to a deep, blackish-purple color.)

"Late Lomeli" is a seedling from the capulin grove in Conejo Park (established by the local CRFG chapter). This one comes into prime ripeness about a week or two after the other cultivars. It tastes the closest to a European P. avium sweet cherry. The main drawback to this selection is that the cherries are small, nanking cherry-sized.

That is the beginnings of multi-grafted Capulin Cherry. Thanks Ashok!

Richard

Joe,
Thanks for the post and pictures about this overlooked fruit! Your grafts are coming along nicely, esp. this time of year.

Fresh capulin cherries are an acquired taste, but everyone whose tried it likes capulin jams and preserves. I'm not growing it, but the fruit is available in season at a few produce markets in town. I've thought about getting a plant from Ben though ... One thing I'd like to try making is a cranberry-style sauce/relish with whole berries -- like you would serve with roast turkey.

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JoeReal

Ummm. That would be yummy! I plan to make wine out of those capulin cherries. It would be interesting to find out how the resinous flavors will translate into wine. Have made more than 100 different kinds of fruit wines. I lost track now.

Richard

Yes, wine would be interesting. Just now that made me wonder what the tannin content is in the fruit, so I went looking at the Purdue NewCrop / J. Morton site. I didn't find it, but I was surprised to read this:

The leaves contain essential oil, fat, resin, tannin, amygdalin, glucose, a brown pigment and mineral salts. The bark contains starch, brown pigment, amygdalin, gallic acid, fat, calcium, potassium and iron. All of these parts must be utilized cautiously because the bark, leaves or seeds in contact with water can release HCN (hydrogen cyanide).

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JoeReal

Thanks for the info about the other parts of the tree. It is the same with stone fruits such as Cherries and Peaches. They have tannins and HCN in the seeds. I never bothered to pit them especially if they are cling-types. Most wine makers reported very minimal amount of HCN in the wine. It needed prolonged contact like a year or more to have significant but non-lethal amounts. The vigorous fermentation is done in 3-5 days, after which I filter the pulps and the seeds away. So the exposure time is not that much.

Richard

Yes, reading further it is apparently the Amygdalin compounds that contain HCN in acid form. The acid becomes a vapor just above standard room temperature and pressure which is why it is not a problem making jams. Apparently Hitler used a makeshift condenser to extract his suicide potion.

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JoeReal

Also interesting to note why Saddam would have wanted to import the shells of the almond nuts from California. He had the same plan but not for himself.

JoeReal

I collected various literature about composition of most fruits that I turn into wine and their possible chemical interactions. I've been making fruit wine for more than 30 years. The easiest to make wines are from grapes. It is quite a challenge with other fruits. You either need to do your own chemical assays or you have to look up at various scientific literature about their compositions. So it is not guess work but a good challenge. Turning fruits into wine is the best method of preserving your fruits. The longer they keep, the better they become. Nothing is wasted.

Richard

Well, I'm totally jealous of your wine making. Alcohol interferes with one of my prescriptions. However: fruit sorbet is my answer. Don't have to worry about aging because it just seems to disappear!

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