SASKATOONS GO COMMERCIAL
Amelanchiers
have been grown in the UK for years, and are very happy on our soils, and our
climate seems to suit them just fine. These bushes and trees have mainly been
grown for their flowers, autumn colour and their ability to add variety to
windbreaks, shelterbelts and woodland fringe plantings. The fruit from these is
perfectly edible and quite tasty, but being small no-one bothers to pick and eat
them. The large fruiting species of Amelanchier alnifolia, commonly known as
the Saskatoon or Juneberry is very different. The fruit is similar in size to
the blueberry, sweeter to taste and can be eaten fresh in season or frozen for
future use or processed in yoghurts, juices, pies, compote, jams and wine.
About
fifty years ago Murray Cormack, a scientist at the Scottish Crops Research
Institute, now known as the James Hutton Institute, introduced them, as well as
chokeberries and blueberries to see how they would perform in Scotland. I
remember helping Murray to pick the first blueberries from potted plants in
1966. They certainly took off and became a major UK fruit crop.
Aronias, (the
chokeberry) and saskatoons have still to make their mark, but interest is now
accelerating at a fast pace. Scientific research has identified the massive
health benefits of black fruits with the chokeberry at the top of the list due
to the very high levels of antioxidants and vitamin C. However the slightly
astringent taste does not encourage people to come back for a second helping,
though they are perfect when processed for jams, juices, compote and summer
puddings, and they make a fantastic wine.
Saskatoons
are also very high in antioxidants and vitamin C, but the fresh fruit is
absolutely delicious. The main crops are grown in Canada and North America
where demand far outstrips supply, so growers are planting new orchards at a
fast pace. The pick your own fruit is a major industry as people just love to
come out into the country to pick and eat the fresh fruit.
I have
been growing saskatoons since 2004 on my small allotment at City Road in
Dundee. Word soon gets around and now interest in this new fruit crop is coming
in from all over UK and Europe.
The first UK Saskatoon fruit orchard
Two years
ago I was contacted by Sophie Sidaway, a student at Pershore College asking
about saskatoons as she had chosen this new fruit plant for a college study
project. I told her to come to Dundee and see them growing here. She came to
our allotment Open Day at the end of June, bought a few plants, and I gave her
a few pounds of fresh berries to eat as well as extract seeds from. She was
delighted later on in the year, when I sent her down a bottle of Saskatoon
wine, and a few more pounds of frozen berries for her College project
presentation. The College Enterprise Board were over the moon and awarded
Sophie with sufficient funding and land to plant up a half acre.
Sophie
got an import licence and bought in 334 three year old Northline Saskatoon
bushes. The field was ploughed and harrowed, then six rows were marked out with
fabric mulch and the bushes planted into these fabric strips over three days.
Rabbit guards were placed around all the plants.
Sophie
will have the field for a five year study, then hand it back to the college.
The project has caused a lot of interest from locals who would like to obtain
the fruit, pubs, restaurants, other fruit growers, and officials from DEFRA.
Sophie
attended a presentation ceremony at Pershore Abbey where she received another
award from the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers for her interest and aptitude
in fruit growing. The certificate came with an award of £125 and a request for
an article on saskatoons in their next newsletter.
The new
bushes flowered last year and gave Sophie her first small crop of berries.
However these were kept for seed extraction giving her over 6000 Northline seeds
for growing into bushes.
Sophie
also got well over 200 plants from seeds extracted from the fresh fruit she got
at our allotment open day.
It is
Sophie’s plan to learn from this project then go into Saskatoon production for
both fruit and young plants for sale once she leaves Pershore College.
I have
found interest from Italy, Holland, Belgium, Ireland, Australia and all over
the UK as well as California. It will not be long before the supermarkets start
importing this fresh fruit, or encouraging local growers to get involved as it
is so easy to grow here. Although very similar to the blueberry, it crops from
mid to late July, so does not compete with the blueberry fruiting in August.
Plant of the week
Phalaenopsis orchid is a very popular orchid as it is
easy to grow, very reliable, and its blooms can last for several months. It
often flowers in autumn to late winter after a spell of cool weather, though
can flower all year round if it is happy with its environment. Once flowering
has finished, cut off the old flower stem. It will produce two or three fresh
leaves each year in late spring and summer. Water and feed regularly with a
weak feed solution, but don’t let it stand in water. Since it is a tropical
rain forest plant it likes good light (Scottish conditions) but not direct
sunlight and a warm moist atmosphere. Bright bathrooms are favourite.
Repot
every two to three years in orchid compost after knocking off some of the old
compost and keep the size of pot just big enough to take all the roots. Don’t
put the arial roots in the compost.
END
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