The Saskatoon Berry - a lesser known but delicious berry

Posted on December 12, 2017  •  3 minutes  • 582 words

If you’re like me and toast just isn’t the same without a heaping spread of button and preserves, then you’re going to want to keep an eye out on this prairie delicacy. Saskatoon Berries have been a popular staple in the diet of indigenous peoples of the prairies for hundreds of years. They were traded, mixed into pemican, and became a regular part of the settlers diet. But what is a Saskatoon Berry? [caption id=“attachment_9840” align=“aligncenter” width=“1024”] Photo by Saskatoon Berry Institute[/caption]

It’s like a blueberry. Only it isn’t.

Saskatoon’s are sweet, kind of nutty flavour. They look similar to blueberries, but are actually more closely related to apples. They can be used in similar fashion as blueberries, and make for great toppings on ice cream, fillings in pies, or glazed and added to desert dishes. One of the best rewards of traveling is getting to try new food, so be sure to add this one to your list when you visit Canada. Just remember that Canada can be expensive at times, so do what you can to sign up to some travel rewards cards   to help keep costs down. Those savings can go to finding new food discoveries!

Popular in Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Saskatoon berries come from tall bushes that can grow up to 16 feet. You’ll find them throughout the prairies, along hillsides near lakes, or mixed amongst other trees and shrub.

Was spread around Canada by voyageurs

Somewhat interesting but odd fact, they say Saskatoon Berry bushes can be found all over the prairies due to the voyageurs using Saskatoon Berries in their famous pemican (Think like a trail mix / beef jerky product). The seeds don’t digest well so lo and behold, wherever man went, Saskatoon’s hitched a ride.

Other names for Saskatoon Berry

They’ve been called a wide mix of names. Pigeon berry, prairie berry, in the US they call them June Berries. Which is odd since harvest for these berries are usually in July. Maybe harvest is earlier in US, but I can’t be sure.

Name origins

They say that the Saskatoon berry got it’s name from the anglicization from the Cree language word misâskwatômina (Mis-sack-qua-too-mina), which loosely translates to “the fruit of the tree of many branches”. Which makes sense. The city of Saskatoon was named after this berry. So you know it’s got to be good. It’s a bit like if someone were to name their city Pizza. You’d expect they probably have some good pie. So you just know these Berry’s are going to rock.

Saskatoon Berries filled with antioxidants

The food scientists were surprised to find out that Saskatoon Berries are filled with healthy antioxidants - just like blueberries and all those other super fruits TV doctors are always harping on about. [caption id=“attachment_9842” align=“aligncenter” width=“600”] Photo by a canadian foodie[/caption]

Best products I’ve seen with Saskatoon Berry?

There’s too many to name really. I’ve tried:

• Pies
• Cakes
• Ice cream
• Sauce
• Juice
• Jams
• Jellies
• and yes, even beer

Where can you find them?

During the summer months visit a farmers market in the prairies and watch for the deep blue-purple jars. They’ll run you anywhere from 4 - 8 dollars for a small jar. You can sometimes buy them fresh or frozen as well. The jam jars make for great gifts! Or if you’re looking to pick them yourself, consider exploring the Saskatchewan provincial parks during July. It’s common to see families with ice cream buckets cleaning up along trails and hillsides.