Haskap
"The fruit of longevity"
North 49 Fruit Corp producer-shareholders are Canadian farmers who have a deep commitment to sustainable farming practices. As a new fruit crop in Canada, haskap farming requires an understanding of the land and climate, careful attention to the plant's growth, a lot of patience, and even a sense of adventure to yield the best possible results. We're thrilled to grow and share our Canadian haskap berries with the world!
Haskap plants are a genus species called lonicera caerulea, part of the honeysuckle family. These plants are found naturally in the cooler temperatures of the Northern Hemisphere. The word Haskap comes from the Japanese indigenous Ainu people, that gave it the name haskappu, meaning "little presents at the end of branches". This plant, depending on the variety, will grow anywhere from 4.5ft to 5.5ft high and anywhere from 3ft to 5 ft wide.
What is Haskap?
What does Haskap taste like?
While we recommend that you try this exceptional berry for yourself, we describe the flavor as part blueberry, raspberry, with undertones of elderberry, black current, rhubarb, Saskatoon berry, and even grape.
What are Haskap's health benefits?
Haskap has long been known by the ancient Japanese as "The fruit of life longevity". Haskap is considered a "super berry" due to its amazing antioxidant potency, and rich vitamin content.
Based on Averages from 3 studies: Brunswick Labs, 2011, Wu et.al, 2004, USDA, 2007
Neutraceutical and Fruit Quality Compounds in Haskap
Based on 200 haskap selections at the University of Saskatchewan.
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Saskatchewan Agriculture Project Report: ADF#20110039(2015)
Fruit Comparison Table (per 100g)
Five revised standard tables of Food Composition in Japan (Resources Council of Science and Technology edition)
What do Haskap berries look like?
Fresh off the bush haskap berries have the appearance of a sunny summer sky with just a wisp of cloud, but once they are handled and frozen they are typically dark blue to purple with possibly a few tinges of red. There is a lot of size variation between the fruit of different cultivars. Berry samples collected and averaged from specific selections in the U of S trial orchards ranged from 1.3 to 2.8 grams/berry. There are amazingly diverse shapes as well. The named haskap cultivars most prevalent in our shareholders orchards are illustrated below to show this haskap berry shape variation along with other characteristics.
