Full grown apples in Saskatchewan's harsh climate? Thanks to some pioneering horticulturalists, that dream is now a reality. 

At Symmetree Orchard near Luseland, Kim McKenzie & Bob Prieston have over 20 varieties of apples, 5 different varieties of sour cherries and Saskatoon berries. Kim talked with West Central Online about her orchard and stated while things have mostly been good with the orchard, due to a late frost around May 8th earlier this year, they had no apples on their orchard this year. It got down to around -8 and that wiped out all the fresh buds of apples for the season, this was the first time since their trees have started producing mass fruit that they've been wiped out by a frost. Kim also said hail always presents a risk as well. Kim went on to say she expects next year to be the best yet for the 6 acres of apples on the orchard. Symmetree also has approximately 2 acres of Sour Cherries and 1 acre of Saskatoons. 

Symmetree has apples that would suit every taste and texture preference. The orchard has apples similar to Gala, MacIntosh, and Golden Delicious. Whether you enjoy a more tart apple or super sweet, soft texture or really crunchy, they have an apple for you. They range in size from a large softball to a plum. They are all different colours from green to yellow to all shades of red.

Full grown apples at the Symmetree Orchard, near Luseland.

Our cold, clean, crisp Prairie conditions are the perfect recipe for fantastic apples. The orachard does not have a long growing season but they have more hours of sunlight on the Prairies than just about anywhere in the world. This may be the great equalizer to the more popular known regions for fresh fruit in BC or Ontario. 

Kim estimates on a good year they'll produce somewhere in the region of 600 pounds of Saskatoons, about 3,000 pounds of Sour Cherries and while she didn't really have a clue on the total weight of the apples, she estimated somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 pounds. 

Kim showing off some of her Saskatoons.

Symmetree operates a U-Pick format for their operation. 

Kim showing off some of her Sour Cherries.

Saskatoon Berries are very healthy for you. They are comparable to blueberries in that they have high levels of antioxidants and anthocyanins which aid in prevention of various forms of cancer. They are also higher in fiber than blueberries. 

Dwarf sour cherries were developed at the University of Saskatchewan by making crosses between sour cherries and Mongolian cherries. Bing Cherries are the B.C. cherries that everyone knows. These are not the same as Dwarf Sour Cherries. Bing Cherries are for fresh eating only as they turn brown when heated for cooking. Dwarf Sour Cherries actually have a higher sugar content than Bing Cherries but they also have a high acid content leading to the name "sour" cherry. They are mainly used for pies and other processing but lots of people like to eat them fresh. It all depends on your taste. North American pie filling is made from a yellow-fleshed sour cherry named Montmorency and contains red dye to get the cherry red colour. Dwarf Sour Cherries are a European style cherry and have red flesh that does not require dye to achieve a cherry red colour. Dwarf Sour Cherries do not stain counters or clothing. They range in size from around the size of a nickel to the size of a loonie. The orchard has 5 varieties: Cupid, Romeo, Juliet, Valentine, & Crimson Passion. Most importantly, the old saying may say it best, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Eat your apples! 

For more information on Symmetree Orchards, click here.