Amelanchier alnifolia or Saskatoon
Saskatoons are native prairie shrubs that grow between 4 to 5 meters [12 to 15 feet] high. The edible fruit is similar in size and shape to a blueberry, but tastes like a blueberry with an injection of almond extract.
Saskatoons, when ripe, are a very dark purple, almost black.
Native North Americans used Saskatoons in making pemmican, a staple food for hunting parties. They also used the berries for many medicinal purposes and the wood in tool-making applications. You can read more about this on the Wild Rose College site.
Homesteaders and farmers have long used the Saskatoon berry for making fruit preserves and pies. Although the European Union has been slow to accept this "novel" food, prairie Canadians continue to savour saskatoon berries. Our uses for the berries today are only limited by our imaginations.
TopWe have over 5000 trees. The few that were damaged by deer and rabbits was insignificant. We do not take any action to prevent wildlife damage.
We purchased all of our seedlings, in bulk, from The Saskatoon Farm, near DeWinton, Alberta.
We are not an organic farm. Our Saskatoon Orchard is sprayed once or twice a year with approved chemicals to prevent saskatoon-juniper rust and entomosporium (leaf and berry spot), Saskatoon Fungicides. We do not spray for any other diseases or pests.
TopEvery year in the fall we use Casaron for weed control in the orchard alleys.
Our farm has been inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Our cherry trees are not sprayed with any chemicals.
Fruit Grower's Society of Alberta Scroll down to see "Nutrients in Saskatoon berries"
Smoky Nutrients Scroll down or click on their link to Table 2.
Nutritional Composition of Saskatoons and Blueberries Scroll down to bottom of page.
by Wallace W. Hansen Note, this gentleman is located in the northwest United States. What he has indicated as a "March Flower", would be a "May Flower" here in Manitoba. Other names for the saskatoon are serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadblow and Shadbush.
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