U-pick Saskatoon berry season gearing up
(photo: Saskatoon berries on vanilla ice cream with chokecherry syrup)
My neighbour brought over a tub of Saskatoon berries the other day. She’d been picking at a friend’s farm about 30 miles south of the city, and said that she’d never seen such an incredible crop–the bushes looked almost entirely blue, and you could practically pick fistfuls of them at a time. They just came off the bushes in huge clumps.
Now, I might get drummed out of the province for saying it, but I’m not actually a huge fan of Saskatoon berries once they’re cooked–I think they become cloying and overly glutenous in pies and jam. But fresh berries are another matter. Sprinkled over breakfast cereal, served up with fresh cream, or scooped up by the handful, they’re just amazing. They’re a blueberry with attitude (although of course they’re not technically even a berry–did you know that they’re related to the rose family and the fruit is in fact a tiny apple?). They also have the same antioxidant potency as blueberries, so along with the strawberry, they’re another incredibly healthy local fruit choice. Great for reducing your personal food miles!
The Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association has some good advice on picking and freezing Saskatoon berries so you can enjoy them throughout the winter:
How to freeze Saskatoon berries
Choose firm, dry berries. Lightly inspect berries for foreign matter or blemishes. Refrigerate immediately in shallow containers. Freeze unwashed on trays in a single layer until hard (about 30 minutes). Pack quickly into freezer bags, removing as much air as possible, or place in freezer containers leaving 1 cm (1/2 inch) headspace. Rinse and drain just before use.
Here are the details for half a dozen local Saskatoon berry farms. Most places have only just opened for the season, so you might want to give the berries another few days growing time to ensure good fast picking. (update: it’s a good idea to phone ahead to check picking conditions before heading out)
- 830 Valley Road
- 978-9797
- 8am-8pm daily
- U-pick $10/ice cream pail, or 3/$20. Pre-picked $15/pail.
Their season opens Monday 14 July–the berries should be up to speed by mid-week.
Berry Masters
- 5 miles NW of Saskatoon (call for directions)
- 242-4780
- call ahead to arrange picking time
- $10/ice cream pail
U-pick isn’t their main business, so please call ahead to arrange a convenient time.
Tim Epp
- Heading east on 8th Street, the farm is precisely 5km past the Briarwood gate on the left-hand side of the road (their mailbox says 295)
- 373-6114
- open anytime within reasonable hours
- $5/ice cream pail (please bring exact money for honour system payment)
The berries are slowly ripening and should be in full swing within the next week.
Lorraine’s Saskatoon Berries & Gifts
- 3625 Mount Royal Avenue, Furdale. Head south on Lorne Avenue/Highway 219 and turn right on Cartwright Street (the Concordia Club is on the left). Mount Royal is the third road, you turn left and Lorraine’s is the second or third place on the right. Follow her signs; you can’t miss it.
- 665-0818
- open 8am-8pm
- $7/ice cream pail or 3/$20
Moon Lake Saskatoon Berry Farm
- 775 Valley Road
- 382-9574
- 8am-8pm daily
- $8/ice cream pail u-pick; $15/pail pre-picked
- 325 Valley Road
- 384-4842
- 8am-6pm daily (weather permitting–call ahead to confirm)
- $8/ice cream pail; $16 pre-picked
Saskatoon berry picking is now underway, but they will be heavier by the middle of this week.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:10 am
I have loads of Saskatoons this year and I used them in that muffin recipe of mom’s - the banana blueberry whole grain one - subbed out the blueberries (but added twice the Saskatoons) Did that make sense? Really good.
July 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Mmm, that’s a good idea. I will try that! Do you have bushes in your yard? I didn’t remember seeing them…
July 16th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi Susan, reading about the saskatoon berries is making me anxious to start picking them! We have them growing wild out back but everything seems to be running late this season so it will be a bit longer. I like them in jam and hope to get enough to do some canning!
July 16th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
@Cassie
The great thing about Saskatoons is that they seem to have about the longest season of any berries that grow here–do you get a fair amount of mileage out of them in BC too? We have had a lot of rain/cool weather and not a huge amount of sun so far this year. The cilantro is liking it, but my tomatoes could really do with some heat. Your veggie meal plan site is great, by the way–I’ve been cooking a lot more vegetarian food lately and have RSSd it for inspiration! Please feature swiss chard again soon; it’s going nuts in our garden
July 18th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I have one proud Saskatoon bush. It had a slow start but now it is growing like mad and prolific. I’ve picked 5 cups so far. You can get Serviceberry trees here (American name for Saskatoons), which are Saskatoons writ large. I used to sneak the berries when I worked at the Nursery. Wish I’d gotten one for the parking strip - the best one I’ve seen is called ‘Autumn Brilliance’ - fall colour is gorgeous and the tree has a really nice arching shape. The birds love them.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Here’s another great local saskatoon berry place - Lorraine’s Saskatoon Berries & Gifts at 3625 Mount Royal Avenue in Furdale. Head south on Lorne Avenue/Highway 219 and turn right on Cartwright Street (the Concordia Club is on the left). Mount Royal is the third road, you turn left and Lorraine’s is the second or third place on the right. Her signs are great, you can’t miss it. They’re $7/pail or 3 pails for $20. The picking’s great right now and they figure will be all week. She’s open 8-8 and the number’s 665-0818.
I made two separate trips out on my bike today (it’s only a 15 minute ride from our place in Buena Vista) and have about 17 pounds of berries so big you’d think they were blueberries for $20! The bushes are so tall that even between 1 and 3 this afternoon I could easily stay in the shade.
I highly recommend Lorraine’s.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:50 am
Top tip! I’ve added her to the list (and I think I will go out there on Wednesday).
July 26th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Susan, the weather’s been the same here. Cool and rainy, and my poor tomatoes aren’t doing as well as I’d like. As for the saskatoons, I’m not actually sure how much mileage we get out of them here compared to our other berries. You have me curious. It’s our first summer here so I’ll have to ask some of the others around about that. Finally picked ripe ones yesterday and in the process, discovered many more I didn’t even realize were there. Still many more yet to ripen too!
You know, I am so regretting that I did not plant any chard this year. I’ve got a local organic farm I get it from though, so will see about a new chard recipe sometimes soon. It’s my husband’s favorite green.