Juneberry – also called serviceberry or shadbush – is an unassuming native fruit in the genus Amelanchier with many common names. Members of the genus grow throughout most of North America and are well represented in the Northeast (about a dozen species). Amelanchier species are notoriously hard to tell apart, and they readily hybridize. Fortunately, all the straight species and hybrids produce edible fruit, which is good for foragers like me, who tend to be “lumpers.” (We have one basic question – “Can I eat it or not?” – and tend not to invest a lot of energy trying to key out which exact species or subspecies of plant we have encountered.)
As best-selling author and Indigenous (Potawatomi) botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer explains in her book The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, “Ethnobotanists know that the more names a plant has, the greater its cultural importance.” Names for plants in the Amelanchier genus include Juneberry, shadbush, shadblow, sugarplum, sarvis, serviceberry, Saskatoon (of Cree tribal origin), and Bozakmin (from the Potawatomi language), meaning “the best of the berries.” Significantly, the Potawatomi root word for berry, min, also means “gift.”
Kimmerer encourages readers to consider serviceberries symbolically as a gift from nature, and she postulates how humanity’s relationship with nature could change for the better were we to look at the plants we eat, the water we drink, and all elements of the natural world as gifts, rather than commodities to be hoarded and exploited. One way to express gratitude for Juneberries is to plant more of them, by purchasing plants from a native plant nursery, or even propagating them from seed you gather yourself.
Amelanchier plants are at their most conspicuous while in bloom. Their early show of bright white, five-petaled flowers – about two weeks before the apples and crabapples bloom – are a welcome sign to people and pollinators alike that spring has arrived to the still-leafless woodlands. The names “shadbush” and “shadblow” relate to the timing of the plants’ blooming, which often coincides with when shad, an anadromous fish and member of the herring family, are running upstream to spawn. Foragers are well advised to take note of the location of Juneberry trees when they are blooming, as they are much easier to spot than when the fruit is ripe, as its purplish color is hard to see from a distance.
Depending on the species, Amelanchier plants range in size from about 4 feet tall to more than 30 feet tall. What they have in common, besides their white, five-petaled flowers, are trunks and branches with smooth, gray bark, and finely serrated, elliptical-shaped leaves that come to a slight point. Look for wild Amelanchier plants in sunny spots, including the edges of clearings and waterways. Due to the species’ early bloom time and nicely colored fall foliage, Juneberries are among the most frequently planted native species in parks and other landscaped areas. You might find, as I have, that the best Juneberry picking opportunities are from plants in parks rather than ones growing wild.
Juneberries (technically not a true berry, but a “pome” like its relative, the apple) ripen 6 to 8 weeks after the plants bloom, usually in that eponymic month, but likely later for plants growing at higher elevations and/or latitudes. While red-colored fruits are edible, the fully ripened purple fruits have the best flavor. Because the fruit doesn’t all ripen simultaneously, you can come back to the same trees or shrubs repeatedly and extend the harvest over 2 to 3 weeks.
While Juneberry fruits are similar in size and appearance to blueberries (including a similar five-pointed “crown” located at the blossom end of each fruit), their flavor is quite different. Juneberries taste like a cross between cherries and almonds, which is not surprising as all are botanical cousins within the rose family (Rosaceae). Baking brings out the berries’ almondy flavor, and Juneberries are excellent in pies, muffins, and other baked goods. Because their flavor is a bit on the bland side, Juneberries in baked goods and jams are best when blended with a tarter fruit, such as mulberry (Morus alba or M. rubra) or black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis), which ripen around the same time as and often grow near Juneberry.
Juneberries don’t store well in the fridge, but they do dry easily – I use a food dehydrator for this – and dried berries keep well even at room temperature if placed in a sealed glass container. Dried Juneberries make an excellent granola ingredient, as drying intensifies the berries’ sweetness and flavor. Numerous wildlife species, especially songbirds, also relish Juneberries. The typical Juneberry tree has plenty of berries that are too high for humans to reach, so there should be more than enough left over to satisfy avian appetites.