Slow Reads and Slow Eats: Serviceberries
A post inspired by The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Serviceberries, also known as Juneberries or Saskatoon berries, are so delicious right off the bush, you might wonder why anyone would want to bake with them! Well, the bushes are so generous with their fruit that in a few short hours you could have more berries than you would ever be able to eat.
Making desserts with serviceberries is easy - just take any blueberry recipe and substitute in serviceberries. Pies, crumbles, muffins, coffeecake, cheesecake… 😋
The easiest thing you can make with serviceberries is compote. “Compote” sounds fancy, but it’s actually just a really chunky jam*. Compote can be used as a topping for pancakes, yogurt, granola, cheesecake, or ice cream. Or you can just eat it by the spoonful!
*Chunky in a good way. Compote is a traditional French recipe for “stewed fruit” which quite frankly doesn’t sound appetizing, but actually neither does “chunky jam. Thank goodness the French have the good sense to name delicious things with delicious sounding names.
COMPOTE
Ingredients
3 cups fresh or frozen serviceberries
3 Tbsp orange juice
1/2 cup sugar (add more or less to taste)
Optional Add-ins
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh or ground ginger
1 tsp chia seeds (add after removing from heat; acts as a thickener)
Instructions
Place fruit, juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to medium heat.
Once bubbling, reduce heat slightly and use a wooden spoon to muddle and mash the fruit.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, occasionally mashing fruit to combine. Turn off heat and add optional add-ins.
Remove from heat and transfer to a clean jar or container to cool thoroughly. Store in the fridge up
Thank you for reading! If you try the compote let us know how it turns out!
Your friends,
Katherine and Manon
P.S. Even though they look like blueberries, serviceberries/ Saskatoons are from a completely different family. They come from the rose family (same as apples, pears, peaches, and raspberries). Blueberries, on the other hand, are part of the heather family (along with cranberries and huckleberries).