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Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
Canada
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The Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia), also known as the Serviceberry, Juneberry, and Shadbush, is a wild plant native to Western Canada. The name Saskatoon originates from the First Nations Cree noun misâskwatômina. The berries grow on a deciduous shrub, 1-3 meters tall, with clusters of white flowers that bloom from April to June. The fruits are medium-sized, fleshy dark bluish, and are generally sweet and juicy. The berries have a sweet, earthy flavor with a rich almond/marzipan undertone due to the flavor of the seeds. They are rich in iron and vitamin C with antioxidant properties comparable to blueberries. Indigenous peoples traditionally used Saskatoons as a major food source, pounding the berries into a thick paste that was spread on mats to slowly dry into a form that could be stored over the winter. This paste was eaten plain and also mixed into stews or with bear fat or oolikan grease.
Wild Saskatoon berries are under serious threat in Western Canada due to loss of habitat caused by housing and industrial development. As the plants are lost, so is the historical knowledge and practice of gathering the berries carried out for generations by First Nations people. Protecting the wild Saskatoon berry is important not only for the continued existence of the plant itself but also, perhaps more importantly, for the continued existence of the historical knowledge and practices associated with the gathering of this wild food.
Historic area of production, details about origins of product and ties to local groups:
Grows in Canada from Plains to BC Coast. The berries are especially well known and productive in the BC Southern Interior and Alberta foothills.
Name of person responsible for nominating product:
Mara Jernigan
3310 Jackson Road
Duncan B.C. V9L 6N7
Canada
Tel. +250 7464637
Email: mara@fairburnfarm.bc.ca
Nancy J. Turner, Professor
School of Environmental Studies
University of Victoria
P.O. Box 3060, 3800 Finnerty Road
Social Science & Mathematics (SS&M) Bldg
(Rm B260)
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2
Canada
Tel. +250 7216124
Email: nturner@uvic.ca
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