The indigenous berries produced on the prairies where cultivated fruit was rare, provided a bonanza in the fall; a gift from Mother Nature for the taking. I'm not talking about the later cultivars developed at the universities or experimental farms, but the original shrubs we harvested berries from in the olden days.
Low bush blueberries (Vaccinium augustifolium) in the Hudson Bay Junction area where we lived on the edge of the Canadian Shield. Your fingers were blue from the bloom on the berries and your back sore from stooping. Your ears were alert for sounds of bears grunting and eating and your legs ready to run. And High Bush Cranberries ( Viburnam trilobum) from the same area. Not related at all botanically or horticulturely to the common cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) , these little red berries on a tall bush made a tart and piquant jelly. The Pincherry (Prunus pensylvanica) also was a favorite of the jelly maker. A tart and delicious jelly was created, particularly good for game and meat.
My favorite as a child was the Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). The flavour from this berry, in the jelly is unique. A slice of homemade bread slathered with butter and chokecherry jelly was ambrosia.
Because it took a long time to pick most of these small and thinly distributed shrubby lttle fruits the preserves were special, a treasure trove and treated with care.
The Saskatoon berry (Amalenchier alnafolia), on the other hand was wide spread throughout the prairies.The berries made very nice pies and were easy to pick. Saskatoons became the prairie icon of sorts but less for flavour and more for its ubiquity.
The cultivars that have arisen as a result of plant selection have undoubtedly improved the production of these little trees but they will never supplant the fruit flavours one remembers from one's youthful taste buds.
Low bush blueberries (Vaccinium augustifolium) in the Hudson Bay Junction area where we lived on the edge of the Canadian Shield. Your fingers were blue from the bloom on the berries and your back sore from stooping. Your ears were alert for sounds of bears grunting and eating and your legs ready to run. And High Bush Cranberries ( Viburnam trilobum) from the same area. Not related at all botanically or horticulturely to the common cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) , these little red berries on a tall bush made a tart and piquant jelly. The Pincherry (Prunus pensylvanica) also was a favorite of the jelly maker. A tart and delicious jelly was created, particularly good for game and meat.
My favorite as a child was the Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). The flavour from this berry, in the jelly is unique. A slice of homemade bread slathered with butter and chokecherry jelly was ambrosia.
Because it took a long time to pick most of these small and thinly distributed shrubby lttle fruits the preserves were special, a treasure trove and treated with care.
The Saskatoon berry (Amalenchier alnafolia), on the other hand was wide spread throughout the prairies.The berries made very nice pies and were easy to pick. Saskatoons became the prairie icon of sorts but less for flavour and more for its ubiquity.
The cultivars that have arisen as a result of plant selection have undoubtedly improved the production of these little trees but they will never supplant the fruit flavours one remembers from one's youthful taste buds.
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