Red berries

[IrishHeart]

A small tree in the garden of my new house is covered with red berries - how can I find out if they are edible

[coccinelle]

Is it like this?

http://www.google.fr/...Kle4M&ved=0CDwQ9QEwBw

[IrishHeart]

No - but I have got one of them - I thought they would not be edible though
The ones I am thinking of are like red cherries

[coccinelle]

Are you sure it isn't a cherry tree then?
The other one has got edible fruit as the birds love them but they're quite bitter. The swedes make a jelly from the berries. Best put into the freezer before which helps to sweeten them up.

[IrishHeart]

Well they are more of an orangy red than I would have thought cherries are - you can see what an amateur I am

[boxtops]

does this help, any one of these? http://www.countrylov...uk/wfs/wfsberries.htm

[IrishHeart]

Thanks for that - I dont really think its any of those either but the website was very interesting
Think I will leave the berries for the birds as I have just put a box near to them. I would like to plant some edible berries though - which are the ones needing the least care - as I said i am an amateur

[coccinelle]

Cherries come in all kinds of colours from yellow through orange, the reds into purple. You could take a cutting of a branch and take it to a local garden centre to check. If they have stalks and a stone like cherries, they're probably cherries.
The easiest in my opinion are raspberries but they tend to take over if not restrained in an area.

[chokkie]

Are they lingon-berries? We've got a jar of Lingon Berry jam in our cupboard which someone brought over for us from Sweden.