Saska-whats?
The best little berry you’ve (probably) never heard of
Jim Dixon has been growing Saskatoon berries at his Williamsburg U-pick farm for ten years. Photo by Barb Mosher
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Steve DuCheney’s U-pick Saskatoon berries draw customers from all over the state. Photo by Barb Mosher
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By Barb Mosher, Contributing Writer
Steve DuCheney never tires of talking about Saskatoon berries. That’s a good thing, because many of the people he encounters have never heard of them.
“We’d have a table full of berries at the farmers’ market, and people would think they were blueberries, and I’d say they’re Saskatoons, and they’d say ‘What?’” said the Williamsburg farmer. “Every customer required an explanation.”
But, he added, after curious shoppers sampled a few of the dark purple berries, they’d decide, “Those are better than blueberries.”
“That was a good feeling,” the Williamsburg resident said. “They’d buy them and then look for me the following week.”
DuCheney (affectionately known by customers and friends as “Saskatoon Steve”) has been growing the misunderstood berries since 2009, when a shaky economy threatened his custom cabinetry and woodworking business. Looking for something to diversify his income, he considered planting blueberries but found the soil conditions on his Sayler Road property unfavorable for that particular fruit.
A Michigan State University Extension agent told him about Saskatoons, and something about the odd little fruit with the funny name got ahold of him. “I was limited on land and wanted to do a unique crop for U-pick, and it just grew from there,” he said. “I jumped in with both feet.”
But growing Saskatoons proved challenging. Half of his first planting of 800 bushes died due to the poor quality of the root stock. Undeterred, he replaced them, and within a couple of years, all the bushes were bearing fruit good enough to take to the Elk Rapids farmers’ market.
The following year, he started a U-pick operation and continued exploring ways to promote and sell the little-known berry, including a variety of distribution channels and the production of value-added products like jams, jellies, and pie filling. Understanding the danger of over marketing a product that was not yet readily available, he worked with MSU Extension and the Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America to educate consumers and improve the propagation of healthier and more productive plants.
“I’d say Steve knows more about Saskatoons than anyone around here,” said Jim Dixon, who started growing the berries on his Bates Road property about the same time. “He’s the most informed, because he’s put in a tremendous amount of time learning all about them.”
Dixon and DuCheney worked together, sharing information and equipment (tractors, cultivators, sprayers, harvesting shakers) and mutual encouragement. Dixon, trying to keep busy in retirement, eventually had 4,200 bushes on two pieces of land, but says he “aged out” of tending such a big of a crop a few years ago. He transferred management of the majority of it to DuCheney in 2016 but maintains his original 300 U-pick bushes on Bates Road.
While some think Saskatoons taste like a mixture of grapes, cherries, and almonds, DuCheney believes they have a flavor all their own. Despite their similar appearance to blueberries, he explained, Saskatoons are more closely related to apples and grow on a large, native deciduous bush in the rose family. As if that wasn’t enough to guarantee an identity crisis, they’re also called by a variety of names throughout the United States including Juneberries and Serviceberries.
A staple of pioneers and Native Americans 200 years ago and still popular in Canada, Saskatoons are finally enjoying a resurgence in the United States, thanks to growers like DuCheney and Dixon who tout their flavor for fresh eating and cooking along with their exceptional health benefits. With more calcium, fiber, protein, potassium, and iron than blueberries, and more antioxidants than strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, Saskatoons just might push kale, coconut water, and chia seeds off the superfood podium.
“They’re wonderful straight off the bush, and they make great jams, extraordinary pies, and really good vinaigrettes and meat marinades,” DuCheney said. “And they’re just very good for you.”
Today, DuCheney has more than 8,000 Saskatoon bushes on a total of ten acres and believes this will be the first year his supply will be able to meet a growing year-round demand. He’ll use an on-site processing truck for the first time to sort, freeze and bulk pack the berries the same day they’re mechanically harvested. Most of the berries will stay in local cold storage for distribution to food processors; some will be shipped to Detroit for further distribution.
“It’s been harder than I thought, but I haven’t given up,” DuCheney said. “I do see a future for these berries. There’s an awareness that’s going to come with more available fruit.”
Dixon agrees that there’s a bright future for Saskatoons. “Steve’s got a good crop this year,” he said. “Hopefully we can get more of them frozen and into local supermarkets. They’ve been in there, but it’s been sporadic. As that improves, they’re going to take off all of a sudden. They’re definitely worth people giving a try.”
Saskatoons are ripening now and will be available fresh for the next several weeks. DuCheney and Dixon agree there’s nothing quite like eating the berries straight off the bush, and they invite the public to their Williamsburg U-pick farms at 7924 Sayler Road and 9520 Bates Road, respectively. Both are open seven days a week, Ducheney’s from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Dixon’s any time.
DuCheney also has limited quantities of fresh-picked berries available. Call him at 231-360-0311 or send him a message on Facebook to place an order. For more information on Saskatoon berries, visit www.saskatoonberryinstitute.org.
Steve DuCheney never tires of talking about Saskatoon berries. That’s a good thing, because many of the people he encounters have never heard of them.
“We’d have a table full of berries at the farmers’ market, and people would think they were blueberries, and I’d say they’re Saskatoons, and they’d say ‘What?’” said the Williamsburg farmer. “Every customer required an explanation.”
But, he added, after curious shoppers sampled a few of the dark purple berries, they’d decide, “Those are better than blueberries.”
“That was a good feeling,” the Williamsburg resident said. “They’d buy them and then look for me the following week.”
DuCheney (affectionately known by customers and friends as “Saskatoon Steve”) has been growing the misunderstood berries since 2009, when a shaky economy threatened his custom cabinetry and woodworking business. Looking for something to diversify his income, he considered planting blueberries but found the soil conditions on his Sayler Road property unfavorable for that particular fruit.
A Michigan State University Extension agent told him about Saskatoons, and something about the odd little fruit with the funny name got ahold of him. “I was limited on land and wanted to do a unique crop for U-pick, and it just grew from there,” he said. “I jumped in with both feet.”
But growing Saskatoons proved challenging. Half of his first planting of 800 bushes died due to the poor quality of the root stock. Undeterred, he replaced them, and within a couple of years, all the bushes were bearing fruit good enough to take to the Elk Rapids farmers’ market.
The following year, he started a U-pick operation and continued exploring ways to promote and sell the little-known berry, including a variety of distribution channels and the production of value-added products like jams, jellies, and pie filling. Understanding the danger of over marketing a product that was not yet readily available, he worked with MSU Extension and the Saskatoon Berry Institute of North America to educate consumers and improve the propagation of healthier and more productive plants.
“I’d say Steve knows more about Saskatoons than anyone around here,” said Jim Dixon, who started growing the berries on his Bates Road property about the same time. “He’s the most informed, because he’s put in a tremendous amount of time learning all about them.”
Dixon and DuCheney worked together, sharing information and equipment (tractors, cultivators, sprayers, harvesting shakers) and mutual encouragement. Dixon, trying to keep busy in retirement, eventually had 4,200 bushes on two pieces of land, but says he “aged out” of tending such a big of a crop a few years ago. He transferred management of the majority of it to DuCheney in 2016 but maintains his original 300 U-pick bushes on Bates Road.
While some think Saskatoons taste like a mixture of grapes, cherries, and almonds, DuCheney believes they have a flavor all their own. Despite their similar appearance to blueberries, he explained, Saskatoons are more closely related to apples and grow on a large, native deciduous bush in the rose family. As if that wasn’t enough to guarantee an identity crisis, they’re also called by a variety of names throughout the United States including Juneberries and Serviceberries.
A staple of pioneers and Native Americans 200 years ago and still popular in Canada, Saskatoons are finally enjoying a resurgence in the United States, thanks to growers like DuCheney and Dixon who tout their flavor for fresh eating and cooking along with their exceptional health benefits. With more calcium, fiber, protein, potassium, and iron than blueberries, and more antioxidants than strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, Saskatoons just might push kale, coconut water, and chia seeds off the superfood podium.
“They’re wonderful straight off the bush, and they make great jams, extraordinary pies, and really good vinaigrettes and meat marinades,” DuCheney said. “And they’re just very good for you.”
Today, DuCheney has more than 8,000 Saskatoon bushes on a total of ten acres and believes this will be the first year his supply will be able to meet a growing year-round demand. He’ll use an on-site processing truck for the first time to sort, freeze and bulk pack the berries the same day they’re mechanically harvested. Most of the berries will stay in local cold storage for distribution to food processors; some will be shipped to Detroit for further distribution.
“It’s been harder than I thought, but I haven’t given up,” DuCheney said. “I do see a future for these berries. There’s an awareness that’s going to come with more available fruit.”
Dixon agrees that there’s a bright future for Saskatoons. “Steve’s got a good crop this year,” he said. “Hopefully we can get more of them frozen and into local supermarkets. They’ve been in there, but it’s been sporadic. As that improves, they’re going to take off all of a sudden. They’re definitely worth people giving a try.”
Saskatoons are ripening now and will be available fresh for the next several weeks. DuCheney and Dixon agree there’s nothing quite like eating the berries straight off the bush, and they invite the public to their Williamsburg U-pick farms at 7924 Sayler Road and 9520 Bates Road, respectively. Both are open seven days a week, Ducheney’s from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Dixon’s any time.
DuCheney also has limited quantities of fresh-picked berries available. Call him at 231-360-0311 or send him a message on Facebook to place an order. For more information on Saskatoon berries, visit www.saskatoonberryinstitute.org.
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