How Haskap Fared In Alberta Last Year

An online venture magazine tells the story of haskap in Alberta last year. Read it here:

This Could Be A Berry Sweet Deal Little-Known Haskap Has The Potential To Revive Alberta’s Fruit Industry

http://albertaventure.com/tag/blue-honeysuckle/

Meet Prairie Plant Systems

Prairie Plant Systems (PPS) began in 1988 by propagating Saskatoon bushes. It now operates three facilities, managing a broad range of plant species with innovation and new plant biotechnology, all in state-of-the-art growth chambers. As members of Haskap Canada PPS has a history of producing all varieties of haskap of exceptional quality and viability…all of them prairie-hardy. Their research has focused on enhancing both micropropagation and in vivo rooting techniques to produce disease-clean trees, which could be used for the development of commercial berry orchards. Their customer service reflects the attention with which they care for both their company and their plants.

For information on their haskap you can access their site here: http://www.prairieplant.com/haskap-blue-honeysuckle.html.



Inquiries should be directed to Jennifer Kostyk at (306) 975-1207. Their email is: pps@prairieplant.com.

Meet Hamish Graham

This year at both Haskap Canada's AGM as well as at the University of Saskatchewan's Haskap Day (Day 1) Hamish Graham (Heavenly Blue Honeysuckle Orchards Ltd.) showed his video on the establishment of his haskap orchard, now tens-of-thousands-of-haskap-plants-strong. It is available on You Tube and can be accessed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5Ar0H_65cQ. Hamish along with partner, Ray Getz, are clearly men on a mission. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Haskap Day 2: Truly A Fruitful Adventure!

Marty and Claire Elder write about the tour of their farm and fruit processing facilities near Outlook, SK, which was the featured highlight of the second day of this year's Haskap Days:

Our Haskap Days farm tour was awesome; about 40 people came to our farm on July 9th to see our orchard and processing facility as day 2 of Haskap Days 2011. There were people from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and theUSA. We enjoyed having everyone and hope you all went away with a little more knowledge about haskap and the fruit processing industry! Despite the windy day that it was, we hope everyone was able to enjoy their day with us. If anyone has pictures they would like to share with us, we would appreciate that as we did not take many pictures that day. One "little person" who was here with their mom and dad left behind a brown hoodie. If the owners would contact us, we would be happy to get it back to you.

Thanks to everyone for coming to visit, and have a great summer!

Marty & Claire Elder
Fruitful Adventure
Outlook, Sask.

Meet Bernis And Jim Ingvaldson - www.haskapusa.com

Bernis Ingvaldson was a participant at this year's Haskap Day. She and her husband, Jim are currently in the process of planting a fruit orchard near Bagley, MN. She posted a wonderfully written article on her experience at the University of Saskatchewan Field Day last Friday on one of her websites. You can access it on PDF here:

http://www.honeyberryusa.com/info/2011HaskapDayUofS.pdf

In her write-up she includes links to her You Tube recording of the university's Joanna-3 Harvester at work:

http://youtu.be/QUC5OquV66E
http://youtu.be/2qhl0iKAgc0

The address for all her fruit-related sites are:

Honeyberry USA: The Honeyberry Farm (blog)
Haskap USA: Tracking Edible Blue Honeysuckles Across The USA (blog)
Honeyberry USA (commercial website)

VERY nice, Bernis!!! We'll be sure to stay tuned...

Haskap Day 1 Highlights - U of SK Field Lab

This year Haskap Day at the University of Saskatchewan began with registration, a brief overview of the day's activities, and then heading to the field for touring the various research plots, a mechanical harvesting demonstration, and background and tasting of newly acquired and potential varieties. We returned in time for lunch and then listened to several presentations in the afternoon covering: research, planting an orchard, and Haskap Canada.

Here's the university's new Joanna-3 harvester that was fired up for us and about to get to work on a row of haskap...

Formalities aside, Haskap Day at the Field Lab is a great chance to meet propagators, producers, marketers, and developers. In addition to the words spoken in the field, the afternoon always provides a wealth of insight. Some of them from this year included:

- pay attention in the future to the roles of polyphenols for marketing perhaps all aspects of the plant: quercetin, cyanadin, luteolin

- that 23 days is required from flowering to fruit turning blue

- that the first and longest phase of fruit production (cell division) involves linear fruit growth and high respiration, and that in the second phase (cell expansion) respiration drops and anthocyanins are metabolized

- that anthocyanins are easily degraded with heat (e.g. boiling)

- that perhaps watering is best correlated with berry ripening?

- that perhaps diurnal differences in temperature, UV intensity, and daylight length are correlated with increased antioxidants?

- whether the red leaves in some varieties are an indication of berry anthocyanin content?

- that berry formation is directly related to available sunlight...and pruning practices might need to reflect this

-that since light is used to set next year's berry crop, it may be important to prune plants after harvest rather than waiting until next spring?

- that roughly an average of 80,000 haskap have been planted over each of the past several years.

Haskap Day - July 8 And 9, 2011

This year Haskap Day will be held over two days...the first at the U of SK Horticulture Field Lab, and the second at a commercial production site.

Day 1 - University of Saskatchewan

When? Friday July 8th, 2011 from 10 AM – 3PM
Registration? Starts at 9:30 at the Horticulture Field Lab, 2909 14th Street, Saskatoon, SK
Fee? $35 goes towards the University of Saskatchewan Fruit Breeding Program

Coffee will be provided by Prairie Plant Systems (http://www.prairieplant.com/haskap-blue-honeysuckle.html)

Events include:

- Discussion of the university breeding program with Dr. Bob Bors, Rick Sawatsky, James Dawson, Tyler Kaban and Peter Riemer, along with the most current haskap research being done.
- Guided touring of research plots and the opportunity to taste test various seedlings.
- There will be a harvesting demonstration.
- Industry presentations will cover growing and planting haskap commercially.
- A marketing synopsis will be presented by Haskap Canada.
- The opportunity to talk to propagators, growers and processors regarding the current and future haskap industry.
- Make sure to sign up for Day 2...

The timetable for presentations:

9:30 a.m. - Registration and Open Discussion
10:00 a.m. - Introduction and Tour
New Plantings
Wild Canadian Plants
Russian Seedlings
2010 - Water Damage
Breeding Fields and Cultivars
Japenese Seedlings
Trials of Nursery Stock
Fruit Tasting
Johanna Harvester
12:30 p.m. - Lunch/Networking
1:30 p.m. - Neutraceutical Components
Haskap Planter
Haskap Canada Update, Q & A
3:30 p.m. End of Day

There is much is see this year at the U of Sk research plots. Three new breeding fields are coming into production which are mostly hybrids. Also there are hundreds of wild Canadian blue honeysuckles that are producing fruit for the same time. We now have a ‘Johanna 3 Berry Harvester’ which we will demonstrate on some plants provided the field is dry enough. If the fields are too wet we will at least see the harvester. Although the season was delayed by a cool May, we anticipate that the early varieties and seedlings will have optimum flavour and later types will probably look good but not be quite ready for flavour. --- Dr.Bob Bors


Day 2 - FruitFul Adventure (Marty and Claire Elder), Outlook, SK

When? Saturday July 10th, 2011, 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Registration? Must Pre-register at Friday’s event
Fee? No Charge

Marty and Claire Elder's farm - FruitFul Adventure (http://www.fruitfuladventure.ca/) - is 45 minutes south of Saskatoon (see directions below). This is an organic farm that uses over the row pivot irrigation. They grow cherries that are close to full production, and Haskap that are just starting to bear fruit. The Elder’s own a brand new processing facility capable of IQF (individual quick freezing). Come and tour a 1,500 Haskap and 7,000 cherry tree orchard. Learn about their organic practices. Watch an over-the-row harvesting demonstration. Tour a CFIA approved processing facility. A free barbecue is provided. Marty is a director on the board of Haskap Canada.

Directions from Saskatoon to Fruitful Adventure

1. Head South on Lorne Avenue till you are outside the city limits. This road becomes Highway 219.
2. Continue travelling South approximately 35 miles to the Hanley Grid #764. This grid will be marked.
3. Turn West (right) at Grid 764 and travel approximately 5 miles to where this road will curve South.
4. At the curve, turn right and continue travelling West on the correction road until you reach the river (approximately 5 miles).
5. A farm with evergreen trees will be on the right. Turn South (left) and travel to the first farm on the West side of the road, about ½ mile.
6. At the deer fence, turn West (right) on the lane...this leads to the Elder's yard.
7. To open/close gate, press Up or Down buttons on post beside the lane on either side of the gate.

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For on-line links go to: http://www.fruit.usask.ca/, http://www.haskap.ca/, and http://www.fruitfuladventure.ca/

Directions to the U of SK Horticulture Field lab are in this blog's sidebar

See you there!

Haskap Canada: Meet Dave Negrych

Meet Dave Negrych. He lives a half hour north of Roblin, Manitoba.

Dave has a plantation of EBH cultivars from the U of S, which means he is a part of a university-sponsored cooperative project that is evaluating a wide selection of plants, some of which may have beneficial characteristics as haskap-hopefuls in the future. Of course he gets to taste the fruit from these plants in addition to various varieties of honeyberries and haskap that he also has planted in his garden over the years.

Dave has spoken at field days in the area on behalf of Haskap Canada and is always open to answering inquiries about haskap.

He currently serves on Haskap Canada's board of directors.

Haskap And Breast Cancer Research

Toppling Goliath Brews has enjoyed a great deal of success recently. Last week their Golden Nugget was voted by a jury to be the best Iowa IPA. Simultaneously their Naughty 90 Oaked IPA was voted as the people’s choice for IPA in the house. And yes, I have tasted them, and yes, they are that good!

A week ago I delivered some frozen Borealis to them in person. The berry itself put smiles on everyone’s face who tasted it, and generated discussion about its compatibility and potential as an ingredient. But the details of that are for these master-brewers to later decide.

For now the little berry may provide the answer that they have been looking for as a way to colour their beer in support of breast cancer research. A single haskap berry macerated in a pint of their pale/light draft not only produces a clean, brilliant rose coloured hue in the beer itself, but it also turns the foam pink without altering the taste.

Thanks TG Brews for supporting breast cancer research and helping us find yet another very worthy use for this berry!

(If you drink, then please drink responsibly.)

Three U of SK EBH Varieties Named

It was announced at the 2011 AGM last Saturday that three of their edible blue honeysuckle numbered varieties that are currently commercially available have been christened. They will now be known as:

9 - 15 - Indigo Gem
9 - 91 - Indigo Treat
9 - 92 - Indigo Yum

An Invitation To Be A Follower...

In order to lead you have to first be willing to be a FOLLOWer!

It's true, we have all been tyranized by leadership which has no idea of what it means to follow. Here at Haskap Canada we are inviting you to sign up to be Followers of this blog! By Following you will be sure to be in the know about Haskap Canada's best practices and best practices in the haskap industry here in Canada. Being in the know as a Follower will make you a better leader as the haskap industry unfolds over future years. And thanks for your support! :)

(In order to sign up just go to the sidebar gadget entitled Haskap Canada Followers and follow the prompts.)

Follower pressure...

Lonicera Caerulea Now On Wikipedia

Lonicera caerulea can now be found on Wikipedia. The article describes the plant, lists the different varieties, and gives a brief overview of its cultivation and uses.

Wikimedia Commons has a complimentary post.

2011 AGM Highlights

Registration

Starting at 10:00 a.m. Haskap Canada members and friends met on Saturday, March 19 at the U of SK campus for our AGM.

The morning's topics included a series of presentations covering exciting research developments that have happened over the past year, as well as current technical work on which the university is working. Dr. Bors and three of his students/co-workers presented.

Haskap Canada President Paul Mitchell and Dr. Bob Bors preparing presentations

This year Haskap Canada members were invited to make presentations of their own work in the areas of: propagation, orchards, and product development.

Thanks again to the Mitchell clan a fine lunch was served that featured haskap in everything that they served. Proceeds went to Haskap Canada.

The afternoon was spent in a formal meeting that addressed yearly agenda items, election of directors, and Haskap Canada updates and future directives.

Time for visiting among growers

It was a very worthwhile meeting with some very exciting prospects for this next year. If you are interested in any aspect of haskap, then consider joining us next year!

Notice of 2011 Annual General Meeting

Haskap Canada Association AGM will be held on Saturday March 19th., 2011 at 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM in Room 2E25 Agriculture Building, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. All members and interested individuals/parties are invited to attend.

There will be a cost of $20 for all attendants to cover the cost of lunch. Proceeds will go to Haskap Canada.

Please RSVP if you will attend: committee@haskap.ca