It’s summertime, when a young food enthusiast’s fancy turns to.... berries.  We’ve discussed berries before in detail, but each variety of berry deserves special attention, particularly ones you can find close to home.

I admit, I didn’t find these in the city.  They were spotted among the native plantings in a complex where my friend was renting a condo in Montana.  But saskatoon berries can be found in some urban parks, such as Discovery Park in Seattle.

Saskatoon berries look and taste like they might be a relative of blueberry, but they’re not.  The leaves are similarly shaped to those of blueberry species, and the flavor of a ripe saskatoon berry is a little reminiscent of salal, which is in the same family (Ericacae) as blueberries.  However, saskatoon berries, like raspberries and blackberries, are actually in the Rosacae, the rose family.  They’re found all over the west, both in coastal and inland areas, and at lowland and mountain elevations.  They’re also known as Juneberries because they ripen in June in warmer regions.

Saskatoon berries are versatile, delicious raw or cooked.  Like blueberries, they are reported to work well in jams and pies, sauces, vinegars and wines.  Of course, to make such items, you need to find a fairly significant haul of berries.  (Edited to add: Thanks to reader Noah for finding this wonderful-looking tart recipe over at Chocolate & Zucchini!)  If you don’t find so many, my next post contains a recipe that works well whether you just have a handful left after devouring them raw, or if you have several cups -- not quite enough for a pie, but enough that you want to make something.