umami she sells sea-buckthorn berries\\ by joanne will
When Betty Forbes and her family planted sea-buckthorn bushes in 1998, she didn’t know the brilliant orange berries would become her passion — and a second career. “At that time there was a fellow who was planning to build a processing plant in Wynyard, Saskatchewan,” says Forbes. “So I helped with planting and just carried on with my career. In 2006, my dad was going to plow everything under because unfortunately the fellow had died. Back then no one in North America really knew what sea-buckthorn was, and I was retiring, so I told my dad I’d see what I could do.” Through her company, Northern Vigor Berries, Forbes harvests the family orchard near Kamsack, Saskatchewan and works with growers across the prairie provinces. She distributes berries for some, and helps others with the September harvest of this aptly named bush. “It’s called sea-buckthorn and we mean it; the needles are long and sharp, and when you get them in your fingers it’s very painful. So we actually don’t pick berries, we cut branches. I have a reefer truck at the orchard where we freeze the branches, and the next day at -29˚C, the berries are knocked off. Not only does it save fingers, the skin on the berries is very thin and if you tried to hand-pick them you’d lose a lot because they tend to burst,” says Forbes. Sea-buckthorn, which thrives in sandy soil and has long been used to help prevent erosion, is up there with açai and goji berries in terms of health properties. The seed contains omegas 3 and 6, and the pulp is rich in omega 7, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
14 // November 2012
It’s mentioned in ancient Tibetan medicinal texts, rumoured to have been consumed by Genghis Khan’s men and horses, and is used today by India’s National Department of Defence in jams, baking and teas to boost the immunity of soldiers. “It’s a tropical, tangy flavour. We’re used to eating cranberries and all kinds of things with a bit of tang, and this also has a tropical element. Your imagination can go all-out, because it’s a berry and you can use it in all the things berries are used for. We used it as a marinade with wild boar and served it at the Saskatoon farmer’s market and people loved it,” says Forbes, who also makes a sorbet from the berries. She sells the dried leaves for use in tea, and the berries are used by many chefs. “Chefs use it in salad dressings and all kinds of things for just a bit of tang; one puts it in chocolate cake. A restaurant we supply makes smoothies for their clients. Another fellow makes an Indian smoothie called lassi, which means he adds yogurt and a bit of spearmint. One of the chefs at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon makes to-die-for scones with sea-buckthorn. Anthony McCarthy, chef at the Saskatoon Club, made a sea-buckthorn sauce with duck and won the 2011 provincial Gold Medal Plates championship. We make a sea-buckthorn gelato that’s absolutely delicious. Chefs also like to use it as a palate cleanser, or serve just a little at the end of the meal,” says Forbes. Sea-buckthorn is grown coast to coast in Canada. If you’re looking for a local fruit with a tropical twist that’s available right through winter, you may be in luck.