Juneberry

Juneberry can be offered from about 6 months to babies who are ready for solids. It is a small, deep blue-purple fruit that grows in North America. It is also called serviceberry or saskatoon.

It provides fiber, vitamins A and E, B vitamins, a little iron and anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are plant compounds that give the fruit its color. It is not easy to find in Turkey.

Amount limit

Raw berries can hold compounds called amygdalin and prunasin. The body can turn these into cyanide. There is no evidence that raw juneberries harm people, but no study has looked at young children. As a precaution, give no more than about 60 ml of raw berries under 12 months and about 120 ml after that. Cooking the berries into a sauce is a way to reduce these compounds.

Note for foragers

If you pick the fruit in the wild, learn the plant well. Each juneberry has a tiny crown at one end, like a blueberry. Some toxic plants also grow dark berries. Examples include glossy buckthorn, pokeberry, and certain nightshades.

A juneberry's round shape is a choking risk for babies. Squash each berry with your fingers, mash it with a fork, or cook the berries into a sauce. Offer whole berries only when your child chews well and sits upright. Stay within arm's reach at meals.

Juneberry is not a common allergen. People with birch pollen allergy or oral allergy syndrome (pollen food allergy) may react to it. Typically it shows up as short-lived itchiness or a burning feeling around the mouth, which is not expected to be dangerous. Cooking can reduce the reaction. Keep the first few servings small.