Life's a bowl of chokecherries

by Kieran Brett

Inside native Alberta berries

Chokecherries, saskatoons and blackcurrants, all indigenous to Alberta and the other prairie provinces, are naturally packed with good things. The First Nations peoples of the Plains knew this long before European settlers arrived and there’s little doubt they passed this knowledge on to the new arrivals.

The chokecherry (or wild black cherry as commercial growers prefer to call them) was used by the First Nations for a variety of medicinal purposes. And not just the fruit; the entire tree was put to good use.

A strong, black, astringent tea was made from boiled twigs and used for fevers. Dried roots were chewed and placed on wounds to stop bleeding. Teas were made from the bark or roots and used to treat coughing, malaria, stomachaches, tuberculosis and intestinal worms. Such teas were also used as sedatives and appetite stimulants. The fruit itself was used to treat canker sores, ulcers and abscesses.

Long a popular beverage juice in European countries, where its healthful qualities are known and appreciated, black currants contain several-times greater concentrations of potassium, iron, vitamin C, organic acids and biologically active plant phenolic compounds than many other fruits.

As for saskatoon berries, next time you dig into a homemade pie take extra comfort knowing it doesn’t just taste good, it’s good for you, too. Saskatoon berries are an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper and carotene. In fact, you can find 22% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of iron in a 100 gm serving of saskatoons and they’re also rich in vitamin C.

Growers see growth

An innovative Alberta berry supply and processing company is hoping to capitalize on the fact that berries taste good and are good for you.

Owned by Arden Delidais, Matt Richards and Lynn Davis, Prairie Natural Processing (PNP) of Red Deer is currently working with a group of 12 growers to increase chokecherry, saskatoon and blackcurrant production and is testing and marketing a range of berry-based products.

Delidais, who is also a principal in DNA Gardens near Elnora, Alta., is responsible for propagating the berry bushes. Richards is a commercial grower and operates PNP’s test orchard. Davis manages the operation and works with different parts of the farmer-to-retailer value chain in the development and production of berry products.

“We are incredibly interested in the opportunities presented by raising berry crops,” says Delidais. While the average grower in the group currently has about 10 acres planted, she says PNP is counting on that average to increase substantially in the next few years. “In this industry, you need a critical mass to really get things going.”

More farmers looking at berries

With the current prices of many commodities like canola and wheat, it’s not easy for Alberta farmers to be profitable growing these traditional crops. Many are looking for alternative sources of revenue, and for some, berry crops are worth considering.

“Many growers are hyped by the challenge of raising berries, because it’s a kind of agriculture many don’t have any experience with,” says Delidais. “A lot of growers are really intrigued by the idea of doing something so intensive.”

While PNP’s berries aren’t being grown organically, at least at this stage, Delidais says producers are always mindful of what they’re putting into their fields and looking for ways to minimize the use of chemicals and other inputs.

For example, weeds are largely being controlled with black plastic sheets that inhibit weed growth, rather than with herbicides. Growers are also practising integrated pest management, which involves careful field scouting, with a variety of tools used for insect control. In many cases, growers are able to use natural predators (namely, other insects) to control the insects that threaten the berry crops.

A world of healthy products

Berry products being tested at Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’s Food Processing and Development Centre include syrups and jams, as well as fruit juices. In fact, a blackcurrant juice under the Norberry Orchards label will soon be available in the province. The juice is being bottled by SLN, a beverage processor in Lacombe that markets beverages to virtually all the major retailers in Western Canada.

Delidais says one of the particularly exciting aspects of the business is how close-knit the group of partners is, not just in the value chain, but geographically as well. “I’m only 45 miles from the main production area, around Red Deer,” she explains.

PNP is timing its expansion just as it appears consumer interest in healthy eating is gaining momentum. With this combination of factors, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing a lot more Alberta-produced berry products on shelves in the very near future.