One morning in June, as I relaxed at the living room window drinking coffee, my husband pointed out the abundant froth of white flowers on a June berry tree growing near the house. “Might be a bumper crop,” we both decided and kept our eyes on it.
As the blossoms died and small berries formed, we watched. After all the tree/shrub was in plain view, and the early green berries were plentiful. However, as a berry picker, I know that doesn’t always mean the harvest will be good. Much depends on Mother Nature.
But the conditions must have been good because the berries ripened and grew larger. Finally several days ago, with empty container in hand, I strolled down to the tree and began picking June berries. It didn’t take long to garner several cups, enough for muffins or pancakes. I plan to harvest these berries for the next week or so, if the birds don’t beat me.
Since June berries were on my mind this summer, the question of what to call them surfaced. I’ve always wondered if they are the same as the Canadian Saskatoon.
My interest in this topic began years ago when my Canadian friend said she would bring a Saskatoon pie for dinner. Since I’d never seen Saskatoons, my curiosity was piqued, and I ran over to investigate when she set it on the counter. The pie looked and smelled scrumptious; large purple berries simmering in sugary juices seeping onto a deliciously sugared browned crust. But they were nothing new. I’d seen these berries before. “These are June berries!” I exclaimed.
Over the past 20 years she’s brought over many Saskatoon pies, and I’ve eagerly gobbled them down. However, my friend always calls the berries Saskatoons, whereas I continued to call them June berries. Are they the same?
While we Minnesotans pretty much ignore June berries, Canadians love their Saskatoons. They can be picked at Canadian berry-picking farms. Grocery stores sell Saskatoon jam. Our northern neighbors pick them in droves and keep good Saskatoon patches a secret, much as we do blueberry patches.
My friend once brought me Saskatoon picking in the Kakabeka Falls area, and I was impressed. The berries grew on roadside bushes and were good sized, and I recall thinking that I’d never seen June berries grow in such profusion in Minnesota. Were they a different berry?
Recently, I recently read an article that explained it. Saskatoons and June Berries are the same. However, they have many other names. They are also known as Service berries, shad berries, Sugar pears and Western June berries, to name a few. They are native to the Canadian Prairies, Northern Canada, British Columbia, the Northwestern, Northern Central United States and Alaska. They are highly prized in the Canadian Prairie Provinces, especially Saskatchewan where the city of Saskatoon is named after this juicy little fruit.
Saskatoons were used in many forms by Aboriginal people. In addition to making pemmican and teas, they were also used medicinally. Current studies are proving them as good a source of nutrition, if not more than blueberries.
According to one source, the first commercial Saskatoon orchard was planted less than 20 years ago, and the Saskatoon Berry industry has grown to be the second-largest commercial fruit crop on the Canadian Prairies, second only to strawberries. While the Saskatoon is enjoying immense popularity in Canada, the lowly June berry is still mostly ignored by those of us south of the border.
But if the latest June berry muffins I baked are any indication, this unappreciated berry should soon be coming into its own.
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