# Cherry and  apricot pits



## joann mantych (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi again,
      I was thinking of using them as the smoke, not smoking them. I will do some research on the cyanide aspect of cherry pits as these are bing cherries. I appreciate the info and any other ideas.
JAM



Hi,
   i have spent the last week pitting cherries and am almost ready to do the same with apricots. Can the pits be used for smoking? I have several pounds of cherry pits.
Thx in advance
JoAnn M


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## smokinhusker (Jun 20, 2012)

Great question! I really don't know but it sounds interesting and I'll see what responses there are.


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## thoseguys26 (Jun 20, 2012)

I'm not 100% sure on P & A's but all of my plum tree pits I lay out in the sun to dry and they are like a little slight bitter amaretto flavored seed inside. Pretty tasty. Just for snacking. I've never smoked them but maybe this year I will try. Just a thought.


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 20, 2012)

I don't know if Smoking with the pits will cause the possible hazard discussed here...You decide...JJ
[h3]A Natural Poison[/h3]
Cyanide is commonly thought of as a gas, but you also can be poisoned by it if you ingest wild cherry syrup, prussic acid, bitter almond oil, or large amounts of apricot pits. Cherry seeds, peach and plum pits, corn, chickpeas, cashews, and some other fruits and vegetables contain cyanogenic (_i.e._, cyanide-forming) glycosides (such as amygdalin) that release hydrogen cyanide when chewed or digested. As a result, some cyanide can also be found in fruit jams that contain these pit and pip extracts, such as quince. However, since the concentration of cyanide in these compounds is small, accidental cyanide poisoning from a food source is rare. But, if the correct materials are deliberately concentrated it can make an effective poison, as the Romans and Egyptians knew. They used to grind up peach kernels to make poisons.

http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/mim/environmental/html/hcn_text.htm


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## thoseguys26 (Jun 21, 2012)

Just like apple seeds I've heard. My gf's dad has been eating the whole apple since he was a boy and he's doing great at 75 but that doesn't mean I'll eat the whole apple :)


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