Grower ready to market blueberry rival
Is it possible for a new "berry of the prairie" to take the place of Maine's beloved blueberry? Rodney Voisine suggests the answer is yes, and that a potential candidate is the little-known Saskatoon berry.
Voisine, who by day runs the anesthesiology department at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, is Maine's first commercial grower of the Saskatoon berry. He's currently in his third year of cultivating 72 bushes at his Old Ocean House Farms in Cape Elizabeth on a quarter acre of land. Voisine lauds the low-maintenance variety, which he says need little pruning until about the fifth year after planting.
The Saskatoon Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia), which was first grown in the United States at Mount Vernon, Va., is the earliest berry bush to flower and produce fruit in North America, according to Voisine. The bushes are extremely hardy and can withstand temperature drops of up to 60 degrees below zero. While Saskatoon berries strongly resemble blueberries in shape, color and taste, they are actually a member of the pome family, and are therefore related to both apples and pears.
Saskatoon berries have been grown by Canadians for centuries. In fact, Voisine's decision to grow the Saskatoon rather than the Shadberry or Juneberry of the same family was based upon findings by the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan on the healthfulness of the Saskatoon berry. "We know what the nutrients are in [Saskatoon berries]," Voisine told Mainebiz, "and from a nutritional point of view, the berries are very consistent."
Voisine, co-founder of the Center for Weight Management & Wellness in Portland with Dr. Verne Wiseberg, says that the berry incorporates essential nutritional components of major food groups within one small fruit. Although Saskatoon berries have as many antioxidants as blueberries, they also contain fiber and protein, two nutrients the blueberry significantly lacks. Also, Voisine states that "gram for gram, the Saskatoon berry is lower than a blueberry on the glycemic index." The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels.
Voisine says he anticipates selling his berries in late June - based on the success of his crop - to Portland restaurants Caiola's, Walter's and Bar Lola, as well as at the Portland Farmers' Market and Inn By the Sea in Cape Elizabeth.
Voisine also said he is currently in discussions with several companies to incorporate the Saskatoon berry into a nutritional supplement rich in polyphenol antioxidants (frequently found in dark-skinned berries) for active people.
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