Introduction to Haskap Berries (aka Honeyberries)
If you’ve never seen haskap before, this whole article is going to seem very strange to you. So before I go and tell you what haskap is, let me show you what haskap looks like.
What is Haskap?
Haskap is an amazingly hardy, fast growing, high yielding, great tasting berry bush that is relatively new to North America. It is an edible honeysuckle that originates from Siberia and can be found in Russia, China, and Japan. It goes by the name ‘Honeyberries’, ‘Blue Honeysuckle’, and ‘Haskap’. Recently, it has been developed at the University of Saskatchewan by Dr. Bob Bors for commercial production.
What makes Haskap so remarkable?
Haskap has several features that make it stand out from among all other fruits.
#1. Hardiness
Coming from Siberia, it is extremely hardy. It can withstand winter temperatures of -47° Celsius. Not only that, but its open flowers can endure -7° Celsius. They are the earliest to fruit in the season, usually in mid to late June - even earlier than strawberries.
#2. Early & High Yield
One of the greatest thing about Haskap is that it doesn’t take seven years to start producing. My seedlings were planted in the spring of 2006 and I ate my first fruit in June 2007. In the studies at the University of Saskatchewan, they were yielding 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) per plant in their 3rd year and 4 kg per plant in their 6th year. The picture below is a three-year old plant in the test patch at the University of Saskatchewan.
#3. Unique Flavor
Haskap is unlike any other fruit you’ve tried. Some have compared it’s taste to blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, saskatoons, and black current. The flavor seems to vary with varieties. They are most often compared with blueberries, but without the seeds. The seeds are similar to that of kiwis, so you don’t even notice them. As for it’s uses, basically anything you would do with blueberries, you could also do with haskap - eat them fresh, in baking, as jams & jellies, frozen, or whatever else you may think of.
You can learn more about Haskap by visiting these sites:
Or you can buy Haskap plants from DNA Gardens in Elnora, Alberta.
Edited: June 1, 2008
Read more in my post Haskap Blossoms In May or Early Haskap Berries.
December 26th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Hi there,
Looking at planting Haskap this spring. What varieites are you growing and what seems to be the best tasing?
Cheers,
Stu
December 29th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
How can someone in Michigan order plants.
Our son is in FFA and he thought this would be a good research project for FFA.
Thank-you for a response
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Thank you for this info! I just bought a pair of these this past spring, and I’m really excited to see the fruit!
January 3rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I have three varieties growing right now - Blue Bell, Berry Blue, and Cinderella. I’d be hard pressed to say which is better tasting, as I’ve only had a small amount of fruit thus far. I could better answer that question after this next season.
However, after attending the Haskap conference at the University of Saskatchewan this past spring, I would recommend the new ‘Borealis’ variety that they’ve just released. It produces the largest fruit with the best taste. If you’re looking to grow Haskap commercially, you probably want to plant ‘Tundra’ or ‘9-91′.
All of these varieties are available at DNA gardens - http://www.dnagardens.com - and they do ship to both Canada and the U.S. However, I believe the Borealis, Tundra, and 9-91 are only available to commercial growers right now as they are so new. I expect them to be available for home growers maybe within the year.
January 4th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Thanks for the info Dave.
I have a tentative order for Borealis, 9-91, & 9-15 so curious to know if you got to see/taste this fruit. I have talked with Bob Bors re what might be best for the Okanagan Valley. He seems to think that the Japanese varieties might be better than the Russian/U of S selections. I have 2 Russian varieties from One Green World that I found in Vancouver. I believe they’re Blue Velvet & Blue Moon. Like you, I had limited fruit to trial last yr but the plants grew very well so I should have enough to evaluate their flavour this yr.
Cheers,
Stu
January 4th, 2008 at 6:20 am
I did see and taste the haskap at the U of S test patch. I don’t think I had the fruit from those specific new varieties as they had limited supply to do their research with, but I did sample berries from several of their trial plants. There was a great variety in flavor - some very good and others very not good. The berries in “row nine” (where these new varieties were grown) were quite pleasant. I’m afraid I couldn’t describe the flavor much for you - each bush had a slightly different flavor. But I am certainly looking forward to sitting down to a bowlful of fresh haskap berries this summer!
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
i’m growing a wild honeysuckle berry that’s indegenous to canada(lonicera villosa). it is very similar to haskap, i’m wondering if anyone knows if it is the same plant, and if it can be a pollinator for haskap.
March 25th, 2008 at 1:19 am
to answer my own question;
i have done some research, and i have found that haskap is related to the wild canadian variety i grow. it is a short bush(under 50cm )that is very hardy(i have collected fruit in zone 0). it prefers moist soils, but it will tolerate dry, and it has tasty fruit similar to blueberry, but with less acid and less sugar. it ripens irregularly and early and has hairy grey twigs. i beleive that it would be a very good pollinator for all haskap varieties,like wild plums are an excellent pollinator for hybrid plums. if anyone is interested in seeds i will try to provide them(my bushes are very young still)
March 26th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Hey, good information. Have you talked to Dr. Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan? He would be very interested to hear from you. I believe he is actively seeking wild Canadian Haskap.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Does anyone have a good recipe for honeyberry jam or jelly? If so, I would love to try it. We have a good crop this year and would like to make some good preserves.
Thanks for your help! Please send the recipe to:
kkent-pearn@hotmail.com
July 9th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
At last year’s haskap conference at the U. of Sask., it was said that you could substitute haskap (honeyberries) in any recipe that calls for blueberries. I’ve never personally tried it, but if you can find recipes for blueberries, I’m guessing they would turn out pretty good with haskap.
August 3rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
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