Ornamental Sour Cherries, Kaskey Park, University of Pennsylvania

In Albums: fruit Philadelphia edible landscaping

May 29th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

I found these ornamental cherries growing in Kaskey Park, on the University of Pennsylvania's campus in Philadelphia.

Ornamental cherries are edible, although some varieties do not taste particularly good. This tree, however, had fruit which were quite tasty, tasting very similar to the varieties of sour cherry cultivated for their fruit: some sweetness, a pleasing tartness, and a strong aroma. The fruits are small and all contain substantial-sized pits, but even with the pits there is enough flesh on each fruit to make for an enjoyable snack. I enjoy eating raw, fresh sour cherries; I actually prefer them to the sweeter cultivated varieties of cherry available in most stores.