The Best of Alberta’s Fruit Season is Now!
Contributed by Jolene Ottosen for the Chaparral Green Thumbs
I know that June is strawberry season, but Alberta’s best fruit, in my opinion (the Saskatoons, raspberries, and sour cherries) are at their peak about now, from late-July to mid-August. Do not miss this bounty!
In my own garden, I have had limited luck with growing my own fruit and berries. The strawberries that I planted only seemed to have one good season, and after that, the few berries I got were eaten by the birds before they got ripe enough for us, so I pulled them out to make way for other things. Raspberries also don’t seem to want to grow for me, although I wonder if part of that has to do with me not being attentive enough to the new canes. About 12 years ago, I decided to put in a Saskatoon berry bush. I had enough room and hoped the area got enough light. While the bush is still with us, it has only grown about a foot or two over the years and never produced more than a handful of berries. I have not, however, given up completely on my dream of Saskatoons, and plan to someday move the bush to a sunnier locale to see if it cheers up a little more.
Thankfully, there is one fruit tree that I have had luck with, and that is the sour cherry. Since the tree was already here when we bought our home, I am not entirely sure what type it is, but I do believe it is part of the romance series developed by the University of Saskatchewan, possibly a juliet. Although the tree was quite small when we moved in 14 years ago, it has grown considerably since then. I have been told that sour cherry trees do not sucker much as they are not a grafted variety, however, I now have several trees I did not plant, and we occasionally wrestle with large suckers in the lawn. Fortunately, we love the cherries, so while the suckers are annoying, it is worth the work. A few years ago, I noticed that part of my main tree had died off, but according to the Saskatoon Farm’s website, that had been a widespread problem in Alberta that year. Thankfully, we will still have more than enough for our needs. While I don’t love processing the cherries, I do love having bags of pitted fruit in the freezer that I can quickly turn into something.
While all these fruit and berries are delicious when eaten on their own, a little cooking and sweetener can further enhance their flavour. Some people like to turn their summer fruit into pies or jams, but I prefer simpler and quicker recipes like quick sauces. Summer Pudding, an English dish which is basically layers of white bread and berry sauce pressed into a dish and left to soak up all the goodness, then turned out on a plate and served with cream. Or clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-tee) which is a simple French fruit and custard dish that is traditionally made with sweet cherries; however, I think sour cherries add another flavour dimension to the dish that makes it so much better. Other fruit can be used in place of the cherries.
If I have convinced you that you need some of this Alberta fruit in your life, and you are not lucky enough to have a garden or pasture full of them or know of any hidden backroad bushes, do not despair; there are several u-pick farms nearby. A simple Google search of “Calgary u-pick” will show you a number of farms that are just a short drive away along with prices and whether or not you can purchase pre-picked berries. Many of these farms have diversified over the years and now also offer market vegetables, baked goods, and other attractions, but the fruit will always be the star for me!
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