Service

Here’s a riddle: Why is Saskatoon like service?
Answer: they’re both names for native trees that produce edible berries.

Amelanchier canadensis has a lot of names: serviceberry, shad-blow serviceberry, bilberry, juneberry, sugarplum, or currant-tree. It’s a close relative of the Amelanchier alnifolia, the Pacific serviceberry or Saskatoon berry.

A local friend suggested to Sylvain that it could be the right time for harvesting some from trees she knew about.

Evidently, the berries are fragile. There had been a heat wave earlier in the week, and the first tree we got to was filled with shriveled berries. The red-winged blackbirds seem to like the shriveled berries, though, and were making a racket as they fed.

Further exploration got us to a few trees that were partially sheltered by larger trees: maples and poplars. These trees still had some good fruit.

One tree in particular was under a large maple, and was absolutely covered in berries. We harvested some, leaving plenty for the birds and other people.

The flavor is sweet and tart, not unlike a barely-ripe blueberry with hints of something else … strawberry, perhaps? They have lots of tiny seeds, so the texture is crunchier than a blueberry. According to the people who farm them out west, they have more vitamin C than blueberries, as well as more fiber, iron, and protein.

In any case, they made for a nice cereal topper.