North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

Bill,
   I think you'd do well with serviceberries.  Your climate is drier and 
you probably have far fewer cedars than we do.  The cedars are the problem 
here, they carry a specialized line of rust for just about everything 
related to apples.  I picked a handful of the berries once years ago in town 
(where there are fewer cedars).  They are nice enough raw, but boiled with a 
little sugar, they were fantastic.  The cooking brings out the almond flavor 
of the seeds.  They really taste nice besides that aspect, a spritely 
flavor, not very much like a blueberry but very refreshing.
   Like Doc's, my service berries that weren't attacked by rust this year, 
due to the droughty weather I'm sure.  My plants have been stunted by the 
boron deficiency I think, like the apple trees, and are finally starting to 
grow now that I've spread boron the last 2 winters.  We just got 4 berries 
from one bush big enough to bloom, but they tasted good.  If the 22 year 
drought cycle holds, we are in for 3 more dry years so maybe we'll get a 
decent crop eventually.    Donna

P.S.  I have Jennybelle, and two plants of an alnifolia cross that Lucky 
sent me, it obviously stays low and spreads via root sprouts.  He also sent 
me one called "Smoky" that I thought was dead till this spring, when it 
reappeared.  Hidden Springs sells 'Regent' and seems like another one that I 
ordered.  The bamboo patch started taking over and when I dug it to move it, 
I cut the taproot, apparently it was a tree type.  You see there are many 
selections and species to choose from.  I've been cutting trees around the 
wild specimans I find, but most just sit there, probably waiting for some 
boron....  There is a tree sized one in the woods, a good 4-6" diameter and 
20 ft tall.  Too tall to see if there is fruit in it.  The one smallish tree 
I know of on our property produced horrible lumps of orange spores the one 
year I thought to check on it.