Berry Delicious

A few days ago I was out for a walk and I came across some berries that I was unable to identify. They looked kind of like blueberries, kind of like cranberries, and were growing on a shrub that was taller than I.Upon consulting several locals (and a few experts from farther away) I was confident that these are Saskatoon berries, which are not only edible, but quite yummy. Indeed, they taste somewhat like blueberries but with a strong cherry after-note.

Being the baker that I am, my first though was - "what can I make with these berries?" so I searched the net for some recipes and came up with a couple that seemed good. I wasn't able to get enough for pie, since the season seems to be coming to an end and a lot of the fruit was starting to dry up, but I was able to pick enough plump berries for a couple batches of muffins.

Generally when I bake I find recipes to use as a base and then I tweak them according to my taste. The recipes below are no exception, although I will include the link to the original recipe as well.

Saskatoon Berry-Oatmeal Muffins

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 egg
1 1/2 cups saskatoon berries
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon oatmeal

Soak rolled oats in orange juice. Stir dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, beat egg and then add oil and beat until light in colour. Add yogurt or sour cream and stir again. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add egg mixture and also oatmeal mixture. Fold wet ingredients into dry and add berries. Mix only until just combined. Spoon batter into muffin tins and top with the sugar, cinnamon and oatmeal mixture. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Based on a recipe from Food.com. I liked the idea of the orange juice, although I didn't really taste orange in the muffin; I would maybe put a little zest in next time to get a stronger orange flavour. I like to use plain yogurt or sour cream in muffins as a substitute for part of the fat, and I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil because it's healthier. Next time I would substitute half of the flour for whole wheat and add a bit more juice. Blueberries or cranberries could be substituted for saskatoons if you don't live Up North like me :) This muffin is not only tasty, but healthy too!

Zesty Lemon Saskatoon Muffins

1/12 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup saskatoons

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup milk

Grated rind of 1 lemon (reserve 1 Tablespoon for topping)

2 Tablespoons sugar

Stir dry ingredients together. Stir in saskatoons. In a separate bowl, beat egg and then add oil and beat until light in colour. Add milk and lemon rind and stir.  Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined. Spoon batter into muffin tins and top with the lemon rind and sugar mixture. Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Based on a recipe from the Prairie Fruit Growers Association. The original recipe only called for the lemon zest in the topping, but I love lemon in baking so I threw the rest of the rind from the lemon into the batter with great results. A delicious, fluffy muffin that could would also be great with other berries instead of saskatoons.







The saskatoon berries have been a lovely discovery! I enjoyed my afternoon with one of each creation and a cup of earl grey tea with a light lavender aroma. The mug in the picture is one of my favourites: I bought it in Finland at a store called Iittala.The company is Finnish and I love that their products are "inspired by lasting everyday design and against throwawayism". I simply adore their pieces, although they are admittedly quite pricey (for my budget, at least). A link to the website can be found here if you'd like to check them out. Finnish people are very proud of this store and its Finnish products planned by Finnish designers. As a Canadian who like to buy local when I can, I can certainly relate.