Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Saskatoon Berry

ABC Wednesday

The letter is S

The object is the Saskatoon Berry



Here is the Saskatoon Berry, bearing many pleasant memories of childhood summers, pails full of ripe fruit, mouths and lips dyed blue with the sweet juice of this prairies delicacy.


The Saskatoon bush is a deciduous native shrub that surely must live in the hearts of all westerners, growing prolifically in all prairie provinces and in British Columbia and the Yukon Territories.

It takes its name from a Cree word (misaskwatomina) for the sweet, fleshy fruits that were of such prime importance to aboriginal peoples and early settlers, being an addition and preservative in the preparation of dried meat (pemmican) and having a nutrient content close to that of blueberries.

Saskatoons are very hardy plants that can survive winter temperatures of -50 to -60 degrees celcius, - making them attractive in the Canadian climate.  They have a sweet white blossom that cover the shrubs during May and June, and the berries are ready to harvest from mid to late July.




At one time it was a day's outing to go and pick Saskatoons, and probably it still is in many places, but beginning in the 1980's Saskatoons began to be planted on orchards and the fruit is harvested by hand or mechanical harvesters.

A picture of my Grandmother, my father and three aunt's, stopping for lunch on a berry picking expedition ca 1905


Saskatoons are famous for pies!!



But let me tell you about a nice Saskatoon Berry Oat Muffin....

Stir three quarters of a cup of rolled oats together with three quarters of a cup of milk and set aside.

Whisk together one and one-half cups of flour, one half cup of sugar, one and one half teaspoons of baking powder, one half a teaspoon of baking soda and one quarter teaspoon of salt.

Whisk one half cup of vegetable oil and one beaten egg together in a separate bowl, adding this to the flour mixture just unil batter is combined.  Be gentle....

Now fold the oat and milk mixture into the batter, and then one cup of saskatoons.  

Divide into muffin tins, sprinkle muffins with a tablespoon of brown sugar and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 18 minutes.  

If you serve them warm with butter they are especially delicious.



The Saskatoon is such a Canadian Berry that we even have a stamp to celebrate it.


Find more Ss here, with thanks to Denise, Roger and their spectacular helpers.

11 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

the muffin looks delicious...oh, it ALL does!

ROG, ABCW

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I have never heard of this berry but oh how I want to try it. The recipe sounds delicious and it might work with blueberries from our daughter's garden since they would actually be possible to come by.

Reader Wil said...

Thanks for this wonderful post with a delicious recipe and beautiful photos!
It's a pity this berry doesn't grow in our country!
Have a great week, Hildred.
Wil, ABCW Team.

Indrani said...

Very new to me, haven't seen these here before.
Happy ABCW!

Rajesh said...

That looks delicious.

Trubes said...

Oh oh oh!
My mouth is watering at the SIGHT of the SENSATIONAL pie and muffins.
This is a berry unknown to me, I wonder if they freeze well ?

Nice post,

Best wishes,
Di, ABCW team.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I have never heard of the Saskatoon berry Hildred, but that pie and that muffin have me sitting here drooling.

Joy said...

By coincidence I saw the set of those beautiful Canada berry stamps recently and was also amazed to see you have a black raspberry also.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Saskatoon must surely be the only city in the world named after berry!

Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil said...

I have to say, the picture of your aunties made my day. I wonder if these would grow in Madison, WI, which is part of the prairie land, albeit overpopulated. Will check with my local connection. They sound like they would also make some great splatter art for kids! (wink) Amy

Susan Moore said...

My grandmother used to make Saskatoon berry pies - so delicious!!