North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Richard MURPHY" <murphman108@msn.com>]

Hello Rodney and Friends;

 

Why 1000 Smoky Saskatoons?

 

A calculated risk, I suppose.

 

Having read about them a few years ago, I thought this would be a good marketing alternative to Blueberries.

Specifically, highbush blueberries.

I wanted to show up at the farmers' market with something nobody else had.

 

In my opinion, the most successful Saskatoon farmer on the planet is Paul Hamer of the Saskatoon farm in Saskatchewan. www.Saskatoonfarm.com  This is not a paid ad by me.

 

Go to his site, folks. You'll be impressed. I was. For the really interested, get his VHS video tape / production guide about Saskatoons.

My wife and I sent away for some Saskatoon jams / jellies through the mail.

I can honestly say I like the taste better than most berries I've ever eaten.

 

In the Canadian Plains where these are grown commercially, Smoky is the most widely planted. Paul Hamer's favorite variety is Northline. I ended up buying the Smokies because I heard too many horror stories about plants expiring in U.S. Customs coming from Canada.

 

Then, I saw that Burntridge Nursery was selling them at a reasonable price. So, I called out there, spoke directly to the owner, and got a real good price on 1200 plants. My family and I planted 1000 plants in rows, and put the rest heeled in a trench for replacements. That was last year in 2005.

 

This is their first Spring season in their new home in Maine. They are doing fairly well. I will keep you all posted.

 

Really, friends; these things are delicious. I've never had fresh ones. The taste is hard to describe. Sweet, a little bit sour, and unusually full flavored. I believe the key aromatic component is Benzaldehyde, whatever that is.

 

So, if these berries do as well in Maine as they do up north (PYO trade on these is BIG) I'm a happy camper.

If not, I out a couple grand. I think there's a niche for these, and I want to be first to find out.

 

Who knows; maybe if I do well on this scale, I'll go bigger like Mr. Hamer.

 

Murph