The Foraging / Berry Picking Discussion Thread

[Huntingwhale]

I like to pick nice thick juicy boysenberries.

[troutman]

People used to pick saskatoon berries in the bushes around where 37th st crosses Fish Creek. Could be private land. I don't know if blueberries grow wild in S. Alberta (too dry?).



The diner in Black Diamond makes saskatoon berry milkshakes.

Sunterra makes a good saskatoon pie. Combine with Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. mmmmmm

[Robbob]

I ran into a decent patch of wild blueberries and strawberries in a clearing up the from the abandoned coal mining town (Bankhead I believe) on the minniwanka loop by banff. This was probably close to 8 years ago. The blueberries caught me by surprise as I haven't came across them before.

[Shaggin Wagon]

If you are looking in Calgary, Spruce Cliff has some Saskatoon Berry Bushes. You can access the green space via Cedar Crescent. Not too sure what the best time of year to pick them. I know there is one couple that pick there every year. They pointed the bushes out to us otherwise we wouldn't have known to pick them. It is on city property, but I don't really know the implications of that.

Go down toward Quarry Rock trail but stay up on the hill and you should find them.

Good Luck with the foraging!

[troutman]

[1stLand]

There are tons of Tall Saskatoon Berry Shrubs in South Glenmore Park, just west of the Boat Launch along the Pathway. See tons of people picking there. They should be ready in another week.

Not a huge fan of Saskatoons, Prefer Blueberries.

[1stLand]

Originally Posted by troutman

Cervenka's sure like to cherry/berry pick!

[Knalus]

Anyone have any tips on planting your own Saskatoon bushes?

[missdpuck]

Oh this sounds like fun. I grew up in NJ and we used to do this. Blueberries, mulberries and some other berry that was almost like a huge whitish pink raspberry .

Down here there's not much to forage. Sometimes when I'm out hiking I'll pick a couple of cocoplums. We supposedly have wild strawberries but I've never seen them in the wild. I do grow them and they are small but delicious.

Sawgrass actually tastes good as long as you don't tear your hands up getting it out.

We used to do small raids on the local citrus groves and pick up the fruit that fell. There are no more groves around here. Those were the fun days.

The majority of coconut palms died off by the early 90s from disease. As a kid we used to joke about getting hit in the head by a coconut. I remember my grandfather teaching me how to drain the milk from the coconut and then split it with a machete. Now you can't even find a coconut , unless someone has planted a tree since the die-off. Sometimes you'll see coconuts in someone's yard trash but they are scavenged quickly.

Pretty sad, huh? Enjoy your foraging. I think it's so cool!!

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Knalus

Anyone have any tips on planting your own Saskatoon bushes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelanchier_alnifolia

Seedlings are planted with 13–20 ft (4–6 m) between rows and 1.5–3 ft (0.5–1 m) between plants. An individual bush may bear fruit 30 or more years.[12]

Saskatoons are adaptable to most soil types with exception of poorly drained or heavy clay soils lacking organic matter. Shallow soils should be avoided, especially if there is a high or erratic water table. Winter hardiness is exceptional but frost can damage blooms as late as May. Large amounts of sunshine are needed for fruit ripening.[12][13]

http://www.prairieplant.com/saskatoon-berries.html