The Saskatoon berries are calling

“That Saskatoon moon is calling to me…” Connie Kaldor’s tune seems like an apt theme song for this year. And why is that? I can say with confidence that this is the best crop of wild Saskatoon berries that I can recall.

And after more than 55 years of perusing berry bushes, this is saying a lot. Nearly every bush I have looked at is bearing fruit; even small shrubs that stand no higher than my knee are loaded.

According to reports from others, this berry bonanza appears to be widespread throughout southern Manitoba. And with relatively few mosquitoes buzzing about, the wood tick season nearly wrapped up, and moderate temperatures, the life of the picker is pretty darn good.

The clusters are amazing, with some of the fruit hanging like bunches of grapes, making for a quick job of filling your pail. And while in a normal year many of the berries are small, this year’s wild fruit are among the plumpest I have seen, on par with the best of the commercial U-pick berry producers.

Having the proper tools for picking is important. I favour a three-litre pail with a stout handle and a quality leather belt to hang it from. This leaves my two hands free to pick, occasionally picking with both hands concurrently. More often than not, though, I use one hand to hold the branch while the other strips the fruit.

And while Rae and I have indulged in many picking expeditions, I haven’t seen many people picking wild berries this season. And when I write not many people, I actually mean no one. Perhaps this is due to folks being out of practice … according to my notes, the last good Saskatoon year was 2013, 12 years ago. As a result, the knowledge of where the local patches are located, or when to start looking for the ripening berries could have been lost.

Or could it actually be that Saskatoons are an acquired taste, one that younger generations have rarely been exposed to? And although my father will likely be spinning in his grave as I write this, Saskatoons can sometimes be … well, they can be mealy, seedy, and tasteless.

Don’t get me wrong. A Saskatoon berry, well-watered and sun-ripened to perfection, can be sublime. But often, they can also leave something to be desired. Being born and raised on the prairies, I don’t think there are too many alternatives to fill my berry-picking urges. Blueberries are non-existent, chokecherries are sour and raspberries prickly and inconsistent. The only other alternative wild fruit are strawberries, and they are so small and hard to find, picking enough to eat is like finding a Unicorn.

The other mystery about this year’s berry abundance is trying to figure out what makes a successful berry year. Having no late frosts helps, obviously, and perhaps, just the right amount of moisture in the soil. Ian Thorleifson of Onanole predicted a good Saskatoon year back in May when the flowering period coincided with calm winds and no heavy precipitation. Saskatoon flowers are quite delicate and easily damaged by wind and rain. Surely there have been springs in the previous dozen years with ideal berry growing conditions? What’s up with this year?

And while the Saskatoons are producing wildly, and the chokecherry bushes appear to be amply supplied with fruit too, the same cannot be said for all wild fruit. Whatever the favourable conditions were for the two previous fruits didn’t include pin cherries, and as far as I can tell, there will be little fruit on them this year.

If you haven’t had a chance to start picking, the Saskatoon berries still look to be in good form. However, you might not want to wait too much longer. While the human competition for Saskatoons has been limited, there are several wildlife species that enjoy a good feed on berries.

Cedar waxwings and gold finch both love to dine on Saskatoons. They often will extract the seeds directly out of the berry while it hangs on the tree, leaving a mushy purple mess behind. Robins, on the other hand, are like humans and will simply gobble up the entire berry.

I also watched a bear harvesting Saskatoons the other night. Instead of intently stopping and picking all the berries from one bush, the bear was speed-grazing, walking quickly and feeding at the same time.

It was obviously high grading the berries, only slurping up the berries that were easy to reach all the while keeping up a good walking pace. Judging from the size and colour of the scat it left behind though, it appears this strategy is working pretty well.

This bear’s actions were very unlike the behavior I have previously observed of bears feeding on chokecherries, in which they invested a lot of time in eating all the berries they could reach. This may be because chokecherry clusters are much larger and provide a bigger caloric bang for the energy-expenditure buck. Or perhaps chokecherries have a higher nutrient value compared to Saskatoons. Let me know what you think.

As it is, I’m on the second batch of jam, plus we have lots of berries in the freezer, all under the assumption that a similar berry harvest is not going to be in the offing any time soon. Happy picking and let’s hope that next year provides an equally bountiful harvest!

» Ken Kingdon lives in the heart of the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve. Send him a text at 204-848-5020 if you have stories to share.