First six cups of 2025 #serviceberries are rinsed, bagged and in the freezer. (Last year was a bumper crop, so we’re still working through 2024’s harvest!)
We probably snacked on another full cup on and off last night, and by “we” I mean me and my dog Kira.
#Serviceberries are ready! (Photo hastily taken on my morning dog walk.)
AKA juneberries, these tasty little guys are native to my part of the U.S., but they’re often planted as ornamental trees. When I moved here, I was pleasantly surprised to learn the fruit is edible!
They’re ripe when they turn dark purple, and they taste a bit like Concord grapes. Texture seems to vary depending on how much water they get; my local berries seem a bit “meatier” with bigger seeds than last year. We use them in baking as an equivalent for blueberries, or just for snacking (my dog loves them, too).
There are four bushes/trees near the train station I pass on our dog walk, and two more in the local park. Every year now, I pick as many as I can as they ripen and freeze what we don’t eat right away. And honestly, I can’t believe I’m still the only person doing it.
https://www.thespruce.com/nine-species-serviceberry-trees-and-shrubs-3269674
Serviceberries leafing out and a Wax Currant is blooming on this rainy day.
