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Saskatoon
fruit growing is a new age superfood health product. Although it has been
around for ages, its value as a healthy fruit is only just being realised.
The demand for the fruit far outstrips its production. After a trip to Canada where I witnessed this new wonder crop I decided
to try and grow these superfood berries in Scotland to find out if our
climate will allow them to grow, fruit and ripen and at economically viable
levels.
The plants and seeds are available in UK, but they have only been grown
as very attractive ornamental garden shrubs rather than for their fruit.
The
Saskatoon is a large fruiting variety of the shrub,
Amelanchier alnifolia. Another Amelanchier, A. canadensis commonly known as the snowy
mespilus, grows extremely well all over the UK.
Saskatoons were a major food crop for the north american indians for centuries,
but only recently is their full potential being realised, with the demand
for new healthy superfoods.
The
Beechgrove Garden with Jim McColl featured John and his Saskatoon experiments
on their TV programme.
Plants
available for sale 2010
Prices
for plants for 2010 is shown at the bottom of this page.
John's adventure into saskatoons
A
holiday to Canada took John to a Saskatoon farm for pick your own fruit.
He just loved the fruit and on return to Scotland discovered that they
were grown at his local Scottish Crops Research Institute in Invergowrie and both
plants and seeds were available in UK, but grown as an ornamental tree
rather than as a fruiting bush.
John decided to try them as a fruit bush on his allotment in Dundee.
The story so far........CULTIVATION ................Click images to enlarge
Sow September 2004
Germinate April 2005
Pot grown throughout 2005
Planted April 2006 into two rows on allotment
First fruits in July 2007
Saskatoon Thiessen above three months old from seed sown Sept. 2004 ...................................Saskatoon flowers in May
Early results indicate there may be potential for growing Saskatoons in the UK.
The first berries tasted in July 2007 did not have the flavour of those grown in Canada, but after a six week period of constant rain and very little sunshine, it is the wrong season to judge them.
It was also a difficult year to achieve good ripening which turns the fruit black, juicy and sweet.
They are only occasionally prone to normal pests and diseases from aphis, to caterpillars, and mildew, and birds just love them so they must be netted, at least on a small scale. The mature bush suffers no problem other than birds.
In Canadian tests they proved to be as good as if not better than Blueberries as a superfood health product.
They look and taste very similar to blueberries, but are far easier to grow and harvest. They grow on all soils.
The fruit can be eaten fresh, or cooked as jam, jelly, sauce, or as fillings in pies, yogurts, or used for wines and liqueurs.
Superfood nutritional value
Saskatoons have higher levels of potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron than blueberries and the dark skins are a rich source of anthocyanins, an antioxidant which may help prevent heart disease, strokes, cancer, cataracts and other chronic illnesses accociated with ageing.Scottish Saskatoons in 2008The fruit crop in 2008 was picked in one harvest on 27th July when 9lbs of large black sweet juicy berries were gathered. However the birds had already eaten quite a few while still just turning red and before I got a net over them.The flavour was far better than 2007 (a very wet year) and the fruit sweetness was enhanced with a few days storage.
Early in the season some bushes suffered some canker, but this may have been a result from the wet 2007 year.
Scottish grown Saskatoon plants for sale
Seeds extracted from the 2007 crop were sown in trays then bedded out. There is was a very healthy crop of 400 young plants available for sale.
Poor weather with too much rain, cool temperatures and a lack of sunshine has held back growth of young plants, but my two fruiting rows have responded with a fantastic flower display followed by a potential bumper crop.
Picking started in late July and continued for two weeks with an average of nearly 5 lbs of fruit per bush. Quality was excellent and netting was installed to protect from birds.
The berries make excellent jam but are quite sweet so require some redcurrant juice to balance the flavour help them set firm. Another recipe included a mixture of Rhubarb and saskatoons making a beautiful jam.
They will also be mixed with some blackcurrants for jam as a trial.We also eat them fresh, with museli in mornings and at lunchtime with natural yoghurt or cream and honey. They are also used for cakes and as a pie filling.
Plants for sale 2010
News of this new fruit crop has been spreading with a healthy demand for young plants so John has been propagating them for those that wish to try them out.
Plants are available now for collection from John in Dundee or by mail order
Two year old plants in 14 cms pots ..............................................................................One year old plants in 7cms pots
Plants in pots
One year old plants in 7cms pots are £6 each, normally sold mail order as a unit of three plants sent in a secure plastic blister pack plus postage of £6 for three plants and £10 postage for six plants.
Two year old plants ready now in 14 cms pots are £10 each for collection only.
Plants in open ground
One year old plants available up to March 2010
These plants are very sturdy with excellent root growth, and are priced at £5 each plus postage. Postage for bare root plants is £2 per plant up to five plants and then £1.50 per plant up to twenty. Above this it is £1 per plant.
Two year old bare root plants are £8 each plus postage.
Sorry, but the two year old plants are now all sold.
Discounts apply for quantities of 50 or 100 or more.
Please contact John if you wish to try these new fruit bushes.
Phone : 01382 665879
Email : johnstoa@blueyonder.co.uk
Send order to John Stoa at 17a Menzieshill Road, Dundee, DD2 1PS