If you did not grow up on the Canadian Prairies and experience the joy of walking around with purple lips and teeth - then you have missed something rare and wonderful indeed!
Saskatoons grow wild around my neck of the woods, and while they are harder to find than when I was a child - they still exist, if you don't mind spending a day or so scouting around to find them.
To say they are worth the effort is a complete understatement. If you have ever had a slice of Saskatoon pie with vanilla ice-cream on it - you would agree with me whole-heartedly!
Lucky for me, I have a Saskatoon bush growing right in my yard. I have been caring for it since spring, babying it along, tending to it like a mother hen with a prized chick. It was almost dead when we moved in here a year ago - but this spring it was covered with blossoms and I was excited to see that I might have improved it's chances for producing some edible fruit this year.
The blossoms produced lots of berries setting on, and since May I have been watching and waiting for the berries to grow and mature, and ripen.
Last week they were starting to turn red, but they have to get darker than that, so I decided to wait a few more days.
Today I grabbed my ice-cream pail and headed outside to start my harvest, with visions of the Saskatoon Berry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake recipe that my cousin Lorraine posted on Face Book clearly imprinted in my memory.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words - you can imagine my conversation while standing there looking at my tree!
They didn't even leave me enough for a cupcake!
No wonder I can't hear myself think for birdsong in my yard! And here I thought they liked ME! Apparently they like my berries more!
Well no Saskatoon Berry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake for me this year...
Darn!
look for the recipe here tomorrow....
it looks like there are still a few yet to come...maybe you'll get lucky.
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