Serviceberries? I Must Try These!

I was blessed to go on an edible nature hike last Saturday.  The naturalist shared a bush called Serviceberry with us and  I knew immediately it was something I had just photoed the week before.

 Now that I know what they are, I can hardly wait to try them!

Highly coveted by birds, serviceberries are of the genus Amelanchier and its many species are found in all of the 50 states, with the exception of Hawaii.  They are known by many nicknames including Juneberry and Shadbush.  I've decided to stick with name serviceberry.  The naturalist that led our Saturday hike shared that the reason it got its serviceberry name is a bit morbid.  Seems that back in the day, corpses were held for burial until the ground thawed.  The only flowers blooming for a burial service at that time of year in sufficient quantity were the serviceberry.

I will hope to collect some in June before my feathered friends get them all and I will make some muffins.  I'll share the results. 

As always, do not eat any wild foods you are not absolutely certain of.  Do not use my blog as your resource for positive ID of a plant or fungi.  Some may have harmful toxins or cause extreme allergic reactions.