The serviceberries are ripening right now and I've been fighting off the robins to harvest a few. Serviceberry, Amelanchier, is a wonderful genus of native shrubs and small trees that I've written about here. These plants are highly ornamental, and their fruit is as tasty as it is colorful.
The ripe berries are purple in color, about 3/8" in diameter, and taste like a cross between a blueberry and a grape — sweet and a bit musky. They're terrific right off the tree, and I like them with my morning bowl of yogurt and granola, too. Or pancakes. Or smoothies. On ice cream. Mmmmm.
Native. Ornamental. Edible. What more could you ask for?
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