Saskatoon Berry Pie

Canada is very similar to the US so you can be lulled into a false sense that they are exactly the same. Then something comes up that makes me say “huh?” One of these things is Saskatoon berries. I knew there was a city called Saskatoon but I had no idea that there were berries named the same. Also…they look a LOT like blueberries but they taste completely different. I couldn’t really describe the taste difference until my friend mentioned they taste a bit like cherries. I didn’t agree at first but now I think she is right. Really, though, they have a taste all their own. They are also pretty healthy because their epic seediness means that they are really high in fiber (plus they are quite yummy!).

The Saskatoon Orchard is very near our cottage, so we decided to try our hand at picking our own Saskatoons. Most of the berry picking I’ve done in my life has been blackberries. They are delicious but the bushes are very thorny. Saskatoon berries are much more pleasant to pick. Not a thorn in sight! The Saskatoon Orchard had gigantic bushes with wide rows between so they were easy to pick. Evan was much more of a saskatoon berry eater as opposed to a picker. He was on board with the picking for about 10 minutes and then the whining started. Raweewan was visiting so I at least had help to pick our two gallons. At $10 per gallon, they were a pretty good deal and will last us a long time.

Once we got home we kept a few saskatoons out to eat and froze the rest. Last night I decided to try my hand at making Saskatoon Pie. I’d never made it before so I asked for recipe suggestions on my Facebook page. Cheryl from Moms & Munchkins had an easy Saskatoon Berry Pie recipe that she recommended. I tried it and it got RAVE reviews from everyone at dinner. Plus it makes two pies so we have more to eat today. Yay!

So tell me, have you ever heard of Saskatoons? If so, what is YOUR favorite way to eat them/recipe?