The other day when I was looking for a noxious plant on the river bank, I discovered all kinds of Saskatoon berries (amelanchier alnifolia) that were just about ready to pick. This berry grows from parts of Alaska, throughout the Canadian prairies and into the northern states. It has many other names one of them being service berry.
It was a berry widely used by aboriginals in their pemmican. Settlers soon found the berry and liked it.
My Dad loved picking Saskatoons and liked nothing better than to get some neighbors and spend the day picking Saskatoons. At that time there were very few improved roads. Saskatoon shrubs grew along the road allowance. The country was a mix of grass, shrubs and trees.
Dad would find a place where there were berries and everybody got out of their old cars and started picking berries. Well, it didn't take Dad long to say that this place wasn't great so let's go down the road as he knew another place that he thought was better.
Much the same thing happened all day.
They had taken a lunch and had a picnic. Sometimes pies were taken.
So by the time Dad got home in the evening he had 5 gallons of berries and yes, a few spiders, leaves, twigs and cobwebs. They spent the rest of the evening sorting berries and washing them. One year Mom canned 96 quarts of Saskatoons.
However, the day was mainly Dad hurrying the group from one Saskatoon patch to another.
Now my Dad liked ice fishing. In fact, he was nuts about ice fishing. We were able to take the car and drive where ever we wanted on the ice which was about 2 feet thick.
He had a bar to punch a hole through the ice. We were little so he'd set us up first. He would then punch a hole in the ice for himself. Well, wouldn't you know it. The fish weren't biting fast enough to suit him so everything was put back in the car and he drove to another place that he thought was better. This continued all day. He wasn't a sport fisherman but wanted fish for food as he loved fish and these were perch and one of his favorite. We'd get home with about 75 fish.
We'd get home cold, tired and hungry.
So he was the same with fish as with berries.
After supper? Guess what? We had to fillet fish. So there were two little boys who did a lot of complaining about filleting the cold fish.
The grass is always greener...
ReplyDeleteThat certainly applies to Dad.
DeleteMy father was a great searcher for mushrooms or blackberries in season - habits which I have inherited from him. My father however was a man of inexhaustible patience; he was so patient and calm when my mother found something to argue about that she got even more mad with him!
ReplyDeleteYou probably look back and see how you were influenced by your father's patience.
DeleteI'm very happy to catch a fish, kill a fish, gut a fish and cook a fish .... for someone else. For some reason I can't eat a fish that I've prepared. However if YOU prepare that same fish I can eat it no problem. I've never understood that.
ReplyDeleteNow that's one that doesn't make sense. There's no sense of worrying about it.
DeleteI planted an Amelanchier in my smallholding in the north of Wales.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it was allowed to grow and fruit?
If left alone they do well.
DeleteSounds like your dad was never easily satisfied - always wanting something more, something better. It was good that you and your brothers washed berries and filleted fish during those long evenings in Esk. Better than playing computer games.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about wanting more applied to Dad in many ways. I never thought of it before.
DeleteI think I would rather be picking berries than fishing. Great memory.
ReplyDeleteTake care, have a great day!
I haven't done either one for a long time but, I did like ice fishing.
DeleteInteresting post. I have always loved serviceberry trees and have one planted in my front yard for their blooms in early spring. I never knew one could eat the berries.
ReplyDeleteThey are not eaten in the states like here. My daughter lives in Chicago and they are not eaten there.
DeleteI love these memories. Did you pick berries now, or is your back beyond that like mine is?
ReplyDeleteI pick raspberries in the yard. I was never a great berry picker.
DeleteWhat wonderful memories you have of your Dad who certainly knew where to look for berries and fish! Great story, Red!
ReplyDeleteThere were other areas of his life where he kept searching.
DeleteI've never gone fishing, but I have picked lots of berries. Yum. I love reading your memories. (NewRobin13)
ReplyDeleteWell, you must be one of the few people in the world who Hasn't fished!!!
DeleteFun memories, your Dad was always on the move!
ReplyDeleteHe was always on the move in other areas but was not terrible efficient.
DeleteMemories of hard work that some young people have no clue about.
ReplyDeleteKids these days don't have the opportunity for manual labor.
DeleteGreat memories! Your father was a great provider by the sound of it. He and your mom made a great team!
ReplyDeleteDad did provide but they were not a team and quite unhappy at times.
DeleteYou remind me of my mum's stories of picking blackberries for bottling and jam making. My grandparents sieved every last spoon of jam because they couldn't stand the seeds under their dentures.
ReplyDeleteMoving on and looking for a better spot must have at least provided a change of scenery, even if the haul was no better :)
There are lots of seeds in these berries but they are very edible.
DeleteGreat memories. For us it was huckleberry picking way up in the hills.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have huckleberries hear but we hear about them.
DeleteYou've given me a great memory of saskatoon berries. It's been so long since I've even heard the words and eaten the wonderful fruit. Once I was given some canned saskatoons made in a thicker syrup by an aboriginal friend's mom. My that was the best thing on pancakes.
ReplyDeleteThose are great memories! In one of your replies you said you now pick raspberries in the yard, I wonder do you eat as you pick or do you make something with the raspberries?
ReplyDeletei think your father was very passionate about his fishing and picking berries dear Red
ReplyDeletei mean Wow the berries you would take home or the fish sound really good for one day 's gathering bravo to Him and to both boys who did lots of hard work to support their parents :)
Ah the memories, eh, Red?
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me of picking berries with my father and fishing for brook trout with him too. Good memories for me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLess good are the memories of cleaning lake trout that my grandfather caught. I was okay with it until cleaning one particularly large one. I got so grossed out I had to stop, and it was the last fish I ever cleaned :)
You have had so many adventures!
ReplyDelete