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A Forager’s Year

No. 89

Sour cherry

Prunus cerasus

tart cherry, pie cherry

Fruit ripe fruit (pitted)

Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)

Find
Elusive
Effort
Quick kitchen prep
ID risk
Careful
Origin
non-native ☆
Safety marks
  • Toxic parts
Uses
  • Eat raw / salad
  • Baking & desserts
  • Jam & jelly
  • Syrup & cordial
  • Dried fruit & leather

Season

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

in season peak

Picking: At least one park allows it. See Where you may pick.

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Safety marks and flags

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

What it looks like

An introduced small tree from Europe and southwest Asia that grows to 30 feet with a broadly rounded crown (NC State). Its leaves are oval to elliptic, smooth and green, 2-5 inches long, with toothed edges (NC State). The gray-brown bark may peel and has prominent horizontal pores (lenticels) (NC State). In late spring it bears white, five-petaled flowers in clusters of 3-5 (NC State). The fruits are round cherries 15-25 mm (about 5/8 to 1 inch) across, red to purple-black or rarely yellow, each with a single stone (Go Botany; NC State). They are sour to the taste (NC State; Go Botany), and Purdue Extension says tart cherries are almost always eaten cooked. Double-flowered forms are grown as ornamentals, not for fruit (NC State). DC’s street-tree sour cherries are 'Montmorency', recorded in the inventory as tart cherry.

Safety

The pits, leaves and stems are poisonous: they contain cyanide compounds (NC State, which rates the poison severity as medium). Remove the pits before eating or cooking. Swallowing a couple of pits by accident will not cause poisoning, but pits are more poisonous when they are crushed or ground up or the seeds are chewed (NC State), and chewing and swallowing more than two pits of some cherries may cause cyanide poisoning (Maryland Poison Center). Never put fruit that has not been pitted into a blender (NC State; Poison Control); Poison Control describes a 14-year-old who became ill after drinking a smoothie made with about 10 whole cherries, pits and all. Teach children to spit out pits (Poison Control). Do not make tea from the leaves, which NC State lists as a poisonous part. The Maryland Poison Center lists cherry among the fruits that can cause an allergic reaction in people allergic to birch or alder pollen. Sweet cherry, also escaped from cultivation, is the plant most often confused with sour cherry (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora); its ripe fruit is also eaten (NC State), so a mix-up is not dangerous, and its pits and leaves carry the same warning. Sweet cherry has leaf stalks 20-70 mm long and smooth-edged sepals, while sour cherry has shorter leaf stalks, mostly 10-20 mm, and sepals edged with gland-tipped teeth (Go Botany). Japanese flowering cherry, a popular ornamental (NC State), is also sometimes confused with sour cherry (Go Botany); most of its cultivars bear no fruit, and its few fruits are small, pea-sized and black (NC State), while sour cherries are 15-25 mm across and red to purple-black (Go Botany).

Lookalikes

  • Sweet cherry Prunus avium harmless (may be edible)

    The Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora says sour cherry has been much confused with sweet cherry, which has also escaped from cultivation. Sweet cherry has leaf stalks 20-70 mm long, smooth-edged sepals and leaf teeth whose gland sits well away from the notch between teeth; sour cherry has leaf stalks mostly 10-20 mm long, sepals edged with gland-tipped teeth, and the gland close to the notch (Go Botany). Sweet cherry fruit is edible raw or cooked (NC State); NC State rates sweet cherry’s poison severity as medium and says its seeds and fruit stalks hold the most cyanide compounds, so remove the pits from both.

  • Japanese flowering cherry Prunus serrulata harmless (may be edible)

    Go Botany names Japanese flowering cherry as sometimes confused with sour cherry. Its petals are notched at the tip and its fruit is 8-10 mm across and purple-black, while sour cherry has petals not notched at the tip and fruit 15-25 mm across, red to purple-black or rarely yellow (Go Botany). NC State says most cultivars of this widely planted ornamental bear no fruit, and its fruit is an inconspicuous, small, round, black drupe; it gives no human poison rating, only that the leaves, stems and seeds are toxic to cats, dogs and horses.

Safety flags

Safety marks and flags: what this means

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

ID risk
Careful
Why
The pits are poisonous and end up in the harvest unless removed. No toxic lookalike is named: sweet cherry, the cherry most often confused with it, is also eaten once pitted, and it has longer leaf stalks (20-70 mm) and smooth-edged sepals; Japanese flowering cherry fruit is small, pea-sized and black.
Soil risk
low
ID risk: what this means

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

When to pick

Starts
mid Jun
Peak
late Jun–late Jun
Ends
mid Jul

The Maryland Manual’s calendar of Maryland harvests lists sour cherries from June 15 to July 15, and notes that harvest times shift with the weather. University of Maryland Extension says tart cherries ripen slightly later than sweet cherries and are usually finished by about the Fourth of July in central Maryland. Pick bright red, tree-ripened cherries (NCHFP). Birds eat the ripe fruit (NC State).

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: peak

Start

sourced

Peak

estimated: No source names a peak; a crop that starts in mid June and is mostly finished by the Fourth of July in central Maryland is heaviest in late June.

End

sourced

Evidence

start: Maryland Manual (Maryland State Archives, 2007), Calendar of Maryland Harvests: 'June 15-July 15' for 'cherries (sour)' (sweet cherries 'June 10-July 10'). University of Maryland Extension (HGIC, via Ask Extension, 2024): 'Tart cherries (also called "pie cherries") fruit slightly later than sweet cherries do'. | peak: University of Maryland Extension: tart cherries 'tend to be finished producing by about the 4th of July in this area' (central Maryland). Maryland Manual: June 15-July 15. | end: Maryland Manual: 'June 15-July 15' for 'cherries (sour)'; 'Harvest times are approximate as weather conditions and overpicking may affect the ripening dates'. University of Maryland Extension: finished 'by about the 4th of July in this area'.

Where to look

Rare near DC and nearly always planted. DC’s street-tree inventory lists two living 'Montmorency' sour cherries, both recorded as planted in spring 2026, one of them in Ward 3; no DC rule on picking street-tree fruit was found, so never climb, shake or damage the tree. Most other sightings are planted trees at street addresses, where you may pick only with the owner’s permission. The C&O Canal (cherries, ½ gal/day), Prince William Forest Park and Virginia state parks allow picking cherries but have no logged sour cherries.

Habitats
street & yard trees (planted), disturbed ground & waste places, old fields & meadows, woods edges, trailsides & thickets
Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Ways to use it

  • tart cherry pies, the classic use (NC State)
  • cook into desserts: Purdue Extension says tart cherries are almost always eaten cooked, and to remove the pits before cooking
  • eat fresh, pitted, if you like a sour fruit (NC State: the fruit is used both fresh and dried)
  • cherry jam and cherry jelly, made with sour cherries (NCHFP)
  • cherry syrup, from any type of cherry (NCHFP)
  • dried cherries, pitted and syrup-blanched before drying (NCHFP; NC State)
  • harvest bright red, tree-ripened cherries (NCHFP)

Keeping

Use within 3-5 days, refrigerated, or pit and freeze them; NCHFP has tested recipes for canning pitted whole sour cherries, cherry jam, cherry jelly and cherry syrup in a boiling-water canner, with the pits kept whole and strained out of the jelly and syrup.

Use within
within a few days
Keeps fresh
General guidance for cherries: 3-5 days refrigerated in a shallow container to avoid bruising; rinse just before use (Purdue).
Canning
lab-tested: whole cherries (pitted), jam (pitted), jelly (pits strained out whole), berry syrup (cherries named; pits strained out whole) (NCHFP)
Keeping basis
general guidance for its type

Ways to keep it

  • Can as researched: can (water bath); canning: lab-tested: whole cherries (pitted) (NCHFP)

    NCHFP has a tested process for whole sweet or sour cherries in a boiling-water canner, packed in water, juice or syrup: hot pack 15 minutes for pints and 20 for quarts, raw pack 25 minutes, at 0-1,000 feet. NCHFP lets you remove the pits first; do so, since Purdue Extension says always remove pits before cooking.

  • Dry as researched: dry/dehydrate; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)

    NCHFP: stem, wash, drain and pit ripe cherries; syrup-blanch sour cherries for 10 minutes, then dry them in a dehydrator, which takes 24-36 hours.

  • Freeze as researched: freeze; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)

    NCHFP: select bright red, tree-ripened cherries; wash, stem and pit them, then cover with cold 50 percent syrup or mix 3/4 cup sugar into each quart of cherries, pack into containers leaving headspace, seal and freeze. Frozen fruit keeps best quality 8-12 months at 0°F (NCHFP).

  • Jam/jelly as researched: jam/jelly; canning: lab-tested: jam (pitted), jelly (pits strained out whole) (NCHFP)

    NCHFP’s tested cherry jam (powdered pectin) uses about 3 pounds of sour cherries, pitted and then ground or finely chopped. Its tested cherry jelly uses the juice of about 3 pounds of sour cherries crushed whole, without pitting, then simmered 10 minutes and strained; crush them gently so the pits stay whole, never in a blender (NC State), and strain the pits out whole. Both are processed in a boiling-water canner.

  • Syrup as researched: syrup/cordial; canning: lab-tested: berry syrup (cherries named; pits strained out whole) (NCHFP)

    NCHFP’s tested berry syrup names cherries: crush the stemmed fruit, simmer it 5 to 10 minutes, strain the juice through a jelly bag, boil it with sugar and process half-pints or pints 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner (0-1,000 feet). Crush gently so the pits stay whole, never in a blender (NC State), and strain them out whole.

Canning: what this means

Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.

Keeping basis: what this means

“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).

Nutrition

Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.

Native or not

Origin
non-native
Native range
Europe to southwest Asia
Invader credit
☆
Virginia invasive rank
not listed
Maryland invasive status
Advisory (MISC list)
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find
Elusive Estimate 16 = 1 research-grade iNaturalist sighting within 25 km + 35 needs-ID sightings counted at under 0.1% (1 of the 2,054 research-grade Prunus sightings here is sour cherry) + 15 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 4 by count (rule B). Rule D (scarce here): the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora says of escaped sour cherry "Infrequent to rare throughout." (Virginia, which takes in part of the 25 km circle), and the Smithsonian checklist of the Washington-Baltimore area calls it only an "Occasional escape"; no source calls it frequent or common here. So only its planted sightings count: 15, which is tier 4. Final tier 4.
Effort
Quick kitchen prep Pit the cherries and cook them into a pie or dessert, or pit them and freeze them in a sugar pack; canned whole cherries, jam, jelly or dried cherries are a 3.
Find: what this means

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort: what this means

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

Sources

34 sources, each linked to the original.

  1. C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  2. Prince William Forest Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  3. Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  4. 4VAC5-30-50. Flowers, plants, minerals, etc. Virginia Law Library (law.lis.virginia.gov)Backs up: picking rules
  5. Cherry (FoodLink produce sheet) Purdue Extension FoodLinkBacks up: description, uses, storage, keeping
  6. Prunus avium (sweet cherry) Go Botany (Native Plant Trust)Backs up: effort & ID risk, safety details
  7. DC street-tree inventory (DDOT Urban Forestry, UFA Street Trees layer): living trees by species, queried 2026-10-05 (2 living Prunus cerasus 'Montmorency') District of Columbia (DDOT Urban Forestry Division, via DC GIS)Backs up: findability
  8. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Prunus cerasus within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
  9. iNaturalist verifiable observations of Prunus cerasus within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: habitat
  10. DC street-tree inventory (DDOT Urban Forestry, UFA Street Trees layer): trees named sour cherry, sweet cherry or cherry, by name, status and condition, queried 2026-10-13 (2 living Prunus cerasus 'Montmorency') District of Columbia (DDOT Urban Forestry Division, via DC GIS)Backs up: habitat, description, picking rules
  11. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part I (Shetler & Orli, 2000) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat, findability
  12. DC street-tree inventory (DDOT Urban Forestry, UFA Street Trees layer): every sour cherry record with condition, ward and planting date, queried 2026-10-13 District of Columbia (DDOT Urban Forestry Division, via DC GIS)Backs up: habitat, findability
  13. How Long Can I Store Frozen Foods National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
  14. Cherry Jam with powdered pectin National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
  15. Berry Syrup National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: keeping
  16. USDA PLANTS Database: Prunus cerasus (PRCE), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
  17. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
  18. Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
  19. Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
  20. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
  21. Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
  22. Are cherry pits really poisonous? Poison Control (National Capital Poison Center)Backs up: safety
  23. Pitfalls of Fruit Pits and Seeds (eAntidote blog, June 22, 2023) Maryland Poison CenterBacks up: safety
  24. Prunus cerasus (sour cherry) Go Botany (Native Plant Trust)Backs up: safety, description, habitat, effort & ID risk
  25. Prunus cerasus (Sour Cherry, Tart Cherry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, description, uses, habitat, season, native or invasive status, keeping
  26. Prunus cerasus L. (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora) Virginia Botanical Associates (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora)Backs up: safety, habitat, findability
  27. Prunus avium (Sweet Cherry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
  28. Prunus serrulata (Japanese Flowering Cherry) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety, safety details
  29. Late season cherry trees (Ask Extension #880615, answered by the Home and Garden Information Center) University of Maryland Extension (via Ask Extension)Backs up: season
  30. Maryland Manual 2007: Calendar of Maryland Harvests Maryland State ArchivesBacks up: season
  31. Freezing Cherries: Sour National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: season, storage, keeping
  32. Cherries-Whole National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: storage, keeping
  33. Going Wild with Cherries (blog, June 19, 2014) National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: uses, storage, keeping
  34. Cherry Jelly with powdered pectin National Center for Home Food Preservation (Univ. of Georgia)Backs up: uses, storage, keeping