Juneberries Gain Popularity With Northeast Farmers

Like the taste of cherries, raisins and almonds? How about all in one? Try a juneberry.

After Chris Luley planted a few of the shrubs on his organic farm just to try them out, he soon found customers and local chefs clamoring for more of the purple fruit with a taste that’s been described as a combination of those flavors.

“Everyone wondered why we didn’t grow more,” said Luley, an urban forester who runs his small farm as a sideline in the Finger Lakes region of western New York. “It was clear there was a lot of market potential out there.”

Juneberry, a native North American fruit also known as shadbush, serviceberry or saskatoon, looks similar to a blueberry but actually is in the same family as apples, pears and almonds. Touted by nutritionists as a “super fruit” because of its high levels of antioxidants, vitamins and fiber, it has caught on in recent years as a commercial crop. Now, researchers in upstate New York are making an effort to expand production.

Juneberries can be eaten fresh or used like blueberries in jams, pies and muffins.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the May 6th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.