Saturday's Adventure

Heading out to Red Wing today to attend the Upper Midwest Baking Association product show. My main focus will by on the Dawn Foods supplier as I will be buying many of my ingredients from them this year. If you have never been to a 'food show' before, let me clue you in: it's table after table of food sampling, every company having their delicious items for you to try showing you how to use their ingredients. We have several new breads & goodies to add to our product line this year already, and always looking for new ideas! Can't wait to start baking, but not looking foward to the lack of sleep it brings! 

Amelanchier aka 'Serviceberry'

Amelanchier are useful woodland shrubs. They are also okay for back of the yard, but usually to gangly for the front yard w/o a lot of pruning and shaping. Where does the name 'Serviceberry' come from? Years ago....when people passed away in the winter, they could not be buried until spring in cold climates where digging was not possible. Amelanchiers are the first spring bloomer as soon as the ground is thawing. Consequently they were used at funeral 'services.'  Interesting.

 Summer - fall the shrubs have berries available to animals and people. They are also known as "Saskatoon Berry," and widely processed in Canada and gaining popularity in the US for jams, jellies & wines. This plant is a member of the Rose family and goes by many common names: Shadblow, Shadwood, Service berry, Saskatoon and about 10 other names!

 Beautiful when in bloom. Can be trained to a single or multiple stemmed sub-shrub. Most are 20' tall or less. Numerous varieties are available.

Some of the varieties have beautiful fall color. This is definitely mature specimen, likely at least 10 years old.
I don't sell these....yet anyway, but have planted several at my house.