Saskatoon

 

    I've been admiring the delicate flowers of the Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia). I'm now praying that we get some rain so that juicy berries can form. It has been so incredibly dry lately. We need many days of good solid rain to get the forest's thirst slated. The heart-leaved arnica are looking wilted and the oxeye daisy leaves have barely grown this year. Even the stinging nettle down in the usually soggy field are looking parched! I am hopeful that June will bring rain. In the past that has been the pattern, although it is hard to say nowadays what kind of weather and precipitation to expect. It seems as if spring is coming earlier and that it's hotter. This troubles me. I worry that species such as paper birch won't be able to withstand extensive hot and dry climate. See blog entry on birch. 

    I am gladdened by the fact that many different kinds of bees are visiting the flowers, their back legs heavy with pollen. Thanks to their incessant collecting of nectar and pollen, the flowers become pollinated and fantastic fruit/berry follows.

    The saskatoon berry (pome) goes from green to light pink, to purple/pink to dark blue when ripe. They are juicy and delicious and can be used as you would blueberries. The berries won't be ready for a little while yet, here at the farm they ripen anytime from mid-June to mid-July depending on the year. Here is a recipe for one excellent use of the berries.

Gluten Free Saskatoon Cookies

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup white sugar (I usually cut this amount in half)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup liquid coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup saskatoon berries

 

Mix dry ingredients together first in a separate bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in the mixer. Then add the dry ingredients while mixing. Stir in saskatoon berries gently, 1cup (sometimes I add 1,5 cups of the berries if I have an abundance). The berries add juiciness and the seeds add a crunchy and nutty flavour.

Form into little balls, pat down and cook on greased plate in oven for 10 min on 350 °F / 180° C.

Enjoy!

Inside the berries are crescent-shaped seeds. They contain a small amount of cyanide just like an apple seed does. I usually eat them anyway. If you're worried, cook or dry the berry as the cyanide content then lessens or disappears. The leaves and bark also contain cyanide. The amount of cyanide is higher in the bush during a drought. 

The leaf is shaped a bit like an alder leaf and the name alnifolia means just that- alder leaf.

    There are a couple of bushes/trees that could be mistaken for saskatoon. One that often grows right next to it is the black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii). The best way to tell the two apart are by the impressive thorns of the hawthorn. See pictures below of black hawthorn. The black hawthorn berries are also edible and they ripen a couple of weeks later than saskatoon does.

   seeds

 

All photos above: black hawthorn

    Another look-alike that is often planted in people's yards is Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa). I have not used it much myself, but it is edible.

 

    To conclude: we are fortunate to have so many delicious berries growing here in this region. Make sure that you have correctly identified anything before consuming. Another very important aspect of foraging is to harvest sustainably. That means not harvesting every single berry but rather leave enough for others who need them to survive, such as bears and birds. Tread lightly and care for the plants and they will be able to provide for you for many years. At the moment I give an offering of water to any plant I harvest from to show my gratitude for their food, medicine and material.

Hope this was helpful to you. Happy harvesting!