Juneberry liquid

Juneberry liquid

I moved into my townhome over 3 years ago. Before living here I had no idea what a  service berry was. Turns our service berries, or Juneberries, are also known as Saskatoon berries. They are a small maroon to deep purple-colored fruit that grows on the service berry shrub or tree. They ripen typically in June, depending on what part of the country you live in. Juneberries are sweet with an edible seed inside. They can be eaten fresh, dried and used like raisins, or cooked into jams or other desserts. I learned from my neighbor that you can harvest them and I promptly started making drink syrups.

Juneberry liquid

To harvest them, simply pick the fruit from the tree when it reaches a dark maroon color. Just like blueberries, select berries that are smooth and plump. Serviceberries will continue to ripen (and sweeten) after being picked, so keep that in mind when it comes to timing, but don’t wait too long. Once the berries start to ripen on the trees, the Robins swoop in for their fill and most of the berries will be gone in a couple of days.

This Juneberries drink syrup recipe works well with a variety of summer berries. You can substitute raspberries, strawberries, blueberries or blackberries if you don’t have Juneberries. The thickness of the syrup will depend on the berries you use: Some are juicier, resulting in a thinner syrup, while others, like blueberries, have more pectin, yielding a thicker syrup. Whatever you decide you can use the leftover Berry pulp for a rough jam.

Ingredients

  • 3 c fresh service berries washed and rinsed and stems picked out
  • 1/3 c granulated sugar (service berries are sweet)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, place berries with 1 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the berries are very soft and juicy. About 5 minutes.
  3. Set a fine sieve over a bowl. Pour the berry pulp into the sieve and allow the juice to drip through. Gently press the pulp with a rubber spatula to extract as much juice as possible.
  4. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice
  5. Transfer to a mason jar or cruet.

Check out all my drink recipes here.

 

Jaimie Sweetman is Head Gardener of the Edible Forest located on the Yarra Valley Estate in Dixons Creek. Tours of the Edible Forest, often led by Jaimie, take place on Fridays and Saturdays – read more and book your place on a future tour.

Juneberry liquid
Juneberry liquid
The juneberry tree is one of our favourites in the forest – a small tree that really gives!

In autumn, it is a flush of red deciduous leaves, followed by cream flowers in spring. But the berries are the main stars! They ripen from pink to a deep purple and taste a little like bubble gum. Whilst they look a bit like blueberries, they are actually more closely related to apples (both being in the rose family – rosacea).

Coming from North America and sometimes called serviceberries or sugar plums, they are not often seen in Melbourne, nor are they easy to find here. If you do stumble upon one, it’s a great find! If not, then the one in our forest fruits through December and is worth the visit!

Another member of the Amelancheir genus is the saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia), which is smaller (only grows to shrub size) and much easier to find in Victoria (although still not common).

[Editor: the juneberry is so-called because the berries set in June. But that, of course, is in the Northern hemisphere and is the equivalent of December in Australia. So maybe we should be calling it the Decemberberry.]

Are Juneberries good for you?

Wonderfully healthy, Juneberries are an excellent source of iron, as well as high levels of protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants.

What is another name for a juneberry?

Other names include saskatoon, juneberry, blueberry tree, chuckley pear, and, of course, the Latin binomials of which there are several because within its genus, Amelanchier, there are several species. All of the species produce berries nearly indistinguishable from the others.

What can you do with Juneberries?

Juneberries are sweet with an edible seed inside. They can be eaten fresh, dried and used like raisins, or cooked into jams or other desserts.

Why is it called juneberry?

Juneberry also known as a Saskatoon is a shrub or small tree. It got its name Juneberry from the time of year when it flowers June, and Saskatoon is what it is know as in Canada . It is very similar to the blueberry but does not require the acidic conditions for optimal growth.