WHAT IS A JUNEBERRY??

Juneberries are not yet widely known in the Northeast U.S. Even though they look much like blueberries, they are more closely related to cherries and plums.

The juneberry (known commonly elsewhere as a “saskatoon berry”) is a dark-colored fruit that is grown on the Canadian prairies for wholesale processing, with some fresh market and you-pick sales. The species of commercial interest is Amelanchier alnifolia, a close cousin of our Eastern serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), which is found as a tall shrub in our local forests.

The flavor of the fruit resembles dark cherry or raisin, with a hint of almond in the tiny, soft seed. Not only are they flavorful, they are nutrient-dense, with high levels of protein, calcium, iron, and antioxidants.

This project is focused on bringing this interesting new crop to small farms, berry growers, and home gardeners in New York and the Northeast US.

Juneberry / Saskatoon production manual - recommended!

If you are getting into growing juneberries / saskatoons, THE best resource is Growing Saskatoons - A Manual For Orchardists.  Written by Richard G. St-Pierre, this is an outstanding source of information about small-scale production of juneberries / saskatoons.  It is a very complete manual, available on-line as individual chapters.

LINK: Growing Saskatoons - A Manual For Orchardists

Four farms establish demo plots of juneberries

In May 2010, four farms in the western Finger Lakes region of New York planted more than 400 juneberry plants to get things underway. The juneberries are now growing, and we expect to be harvesting berries as early as June 2012, and seeing full production in 2013.

The cooperating growers:
Christopher Luley, Happy Goat Farm, Naples, NY
Al Norwood, Norwood Farm, Victor, NY
Stephanie Ludwig, G & S Orchards, Walworth, NY
David DeMallie, DeMallie’s Fruit Farm, Naples, NY

Juneberry nutrition

Juneberries / saskatoons are a fruit native to North America, grown in central Canada, but relatively unknown in the Northeast.

Juneberries are an excellent source of iron – each serving provides about 23% RDA for iron (almost twice as much iron as blueberries)

Juneberries contain high levels of phenolic compounds, particularly anthocyanins.

A typical juneberry is 18 % sugar, and about 80% water.

Juneberries have a lower moisture content than blueberries, so there are slightly higher levels of caloric value, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids in them.

For the athletic type, juneberries contain relatively large amounts of potassium (twice as much as blueberries); also, large amounts of  magnesium and phosphorous.

Juneberries have about as much vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin A and vitamin E as blueberries, and also trace amounts of biotin.

Juneberries have a flavor more reminiscent of dark cherries due to the presence of benzaldehyde, a natural volatile compound.

Juneberries were consumed and preserved by native North Americans for nutrition and medicinal uses.  Like other native fruits, they provided important vitamins and minerals to European settlers in North America, preventing deficiency diseases such as scurvy.