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| Juneberries |
Also historically known as pigeon berries or serviceberries, these shrubs are native to North America. The species commercially grown is Amelanchier alnifolia, which is a close cousin of our Eastern serviceberry (A. canadensis), which commonly grows around here. The berries are more well-known in Canada, especially in Saskatchewan, which holds a Saskatoon Berry Festival in the town of Mortlach every year (except this year, thanks to Covid-19).
The name of 'Saskatoon' is said to be from the Cree language word misâskwatômina (Mis-sack-qua-too-mina), which means “the fruit of the tree of many branches”. The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has similar origins. Historically the berries were often used in pemmican, as well as used medicinally for a variety of illnesses. The berries also feed various wildlife such as birds, squirrels, and bears, and the shrubs are a larval host for several swallowtail butterflies.
Juneberry/Saskatoon berry plants are deciduous and grow in a wide range of soils, though they prefer well-draining spots. They can be grown as shrubs or small trees and can reach 16 feet tall. White flowers bloom in spring, followed by the berries in late June or early July. The berries are very nutritious, containing high levels of protein, iron, calcium, and antioxidants.
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| picking Juneberries |
A local farm started offering Juneberry picking, and last year we tried them for the first time. The taste is said to be sweet with hints of almond and cherry. The kids especially were excited to try them - but upon tasting them we found them to be not that great raw. They were sweet, but on the tart side, and rather watery and seedy. So I baked them into a pie...
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| Juneberry pie |
...and wow. It was absolutely delicious! My oldest daughter, who had never cared for a fruit pie in her life, enjoyed it immensely. One year later, she is still talking about that pie. This is obviously a fruit that improves upon baking.
Juneberry picking season has just started here, and the farm is letting small numbers of people come pick on appointment, so we will be cautiously venturing out for more Juneberry acquisition.
Wish us luck (and many juneberries/saskatoon berries)!
Happy gardening!
Mmm yummy!
ReplyDeleteWe made a Juneberry pie yesterday - very delicious!
DeleteInteresting to know - I'd never heard of Juneberries, although I am familiar with Amelanchiers. How many plants would you need to plant for a family-sized crop?
ReplyDeleteThe shrubs look a lot like blueberries and seem to produce similarly, so you would need about the same number. A mature Juneberry shrub will eventually be bigger than a blueberry shrub, however, though it will take a few years.
Deleteoooh, I never heard of juneberries, but one cannot know everything ;-) the pie sure looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of it until just a few years back. Who knows, maybe it will be the next superfood! :)
DeleteI've never heard of them. We grow a service berry tree that blooms and berries in spring. The birds devour the berries. The pie sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteThey are sometimes called serviceberries as well, as they come from that group. I have some Eastern serviceberries (A. canadense) in my woods, and the berries are supposed to be edible (though more variable in taste than Juneberries), but I never beat the birds to the berries to try them!
DeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteI picked up two *tiny* serviceberry (or juneberry) plants last year at a local native plant sale.
They were unidentified Amelanchier spp. seedlings. I'm thinking probably / hopefully Amelanchier arborea, which is the most widespread native Amelanchier species down here in Tennessee.
I thought I lost them over the winter (they were uncaged and got nibbled down to the ground by something), but they did come back from the roots and are looking pretty good (in a cage!) so far this spring. :)
Probably several years at least until I get any berries though, I would guess...
Thanks for sharing your take on juneberries!
I love Juneberries! I've never had them in pie, but I can believe that would be delicious. We have a couple of bushes, but the berries all get eaten by birds and squirrels.
ReplyDelete