Huskaps berries

[KGB]

Huskaps berries or honey berries are ready everywhere now. You will have to go to you pick locations to get them. But they are absolutely delicious! Search for a u pick locations in your area. Around Edmonton, there are few: Spruce Grove area, Sherwood Park, St.Albert… My favourite is the Blas Berry farm not far from spruce grove. The berries are big and juicy and sweet… Been there twice already, they told me they will be weighting me before and after next time, lol!
I freeze some for smoothies that wife and daughter love and make jam for the next 12 months…
The berries are super healthy for you, loaded with anti-oxidants and vitamins.

[Reeves1]

I have 8 big bushes (2 kinds) and they are small & tart. Don't like them.

[Dewey Cox]

They can be big and sweet, but the birds usually eat them before then.

[Stinky Buffalo]

We have a few bushes, and they are very tasty! We use them on cereal, in rhubarb crumble, etc.

[Drewski Canuck]

Honey Berries are either Male or Female. The Male plants are considerably bigger, but the berries are small and bitter.

The Female plants are smaller, heavier foliage, and very big but fewer berries.

You need at least one Male in your berry rows, recommended 4 females to 1 male, but you can get away with a higher ratio if the bushes are close proximity.

Trick is the Cedar Waxwings will hit your bushes hard, so you might have to net the bushes to get any berries.

I am up to 16 bushes now.

Drewski

[CBintheNorth]

I planted 20 or so as a hedge on one side of my property. Planted Aurora and Borealis.
At the time they said the Borealis were much bigger and sweeter so I planted 3 Borealis to 1 Aurora.
Boy were they backwards!
Those Aurora are huge and delicious. The other ones are small and very tart.
Now, at 3ft tall, it's really hard to justify replanting varieties.
They're worth planting, but the birds are quick to get them, as evidenced by the purple poop stains all over the sidewalk.

[KGB]

That’s interesting about the birds… one of the upicks had all the bushes covered in nets, they said birds are cleaning them up otherwise. The other one said they don’t use any nets to cover the bushes, birds are not a problem… A few guys that grow them in their yards all saying that the birds beat them to the berries every single year

[1886]

Have two plants here and the last three years the cedar wax wings clean them off before they are even ripe.

[Sundog57]

Same here with the birds...
Planted five bushes several years ago, they are now healthy, mature and look great.
Tons of flowers and green fruit every year.
Annual harvest is running between six and fifteen ripe berries a year

[Reeves1]

Originally Posted by 1886

Have two plants here and the last three years the cedar wax wings clean them off before they are even ripe.

Same at my place. Cedar Waxwings are nasty !

[Jays toyz]

I have never seen a cedar waxwing at my place until I got haskap. My 7 bushes were along a tree line, often overgrown with grass and weeds. They were neglected and shaded but I got to eat some berries.
I just moved them to my berry garden into raised beds and within 24 hours the birds had gotten every berry. Green or purple. Netting it is...

[Drewski Canuck]

Part of my dislike for Cedar Waxwings is the honey berries that they take from me, part of my dislike is the purple bird crap that really stains white paint!!!

These birds eat a ton of honey berries and leave behind a ton of little Barneys all over the place.

Drewski

[KGB]

Well if you guys are still craving these berries- the u pick is still open! I am now officially done picking them, made enough jam to last me until the next season

[Jays toyz]

Originally Posted by KGB

Well if you guys are still craving these berries- the u pick is still open! I am now officially done picking them, made enough jam to last me until the next season

The one by Pipestone is huge! If there is picking to be had after the weekend, I'm going to pick a few pails. Do you bring your own modified Saws all and tarp? 😉

[KGB]

I am not sure what you mean… I havnt been to the one by Pipestone so maybe I’m missing something…
What I bring is a bug spray and a small chair to sit on.

[Jays toyz]

Originally Posted by KGB

I am not sure what you mean… I havnt been to the one by Pipestone so maybe I’m missing something…
What I bring is a bug spray and a small chair to sit on.

One of the reasons people get into commercial production of haskap is the ability to use mechanical harvesting. They place a tarp under the bush and with anything from a small tractor with a shaker arm to a sawzall to shake the berries off. Im sure it's a u-pick and not a u-shake

[KGB]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

One of the reasons people get into commercial production of haskap is the ability to use mechanical harvesting. They place a tarp under the bush and with anything from a small tractor with a shaker arm to a sawzall to shake the berries off. Im sure it's a u-pick and not a u-shake

Oh I see what you mean. No, I don’t use saws all, just a hand pick. The u pick operation between Morinville and St.Albert does actually have a special tractor with an attachment to shake up the bushes and pick up berries. I did buy a few pounds from them last year. But their berries are not as sweet and big as the ones I get from the farm south of Spruce Grove.

[GMX]

I got two 10kg boxes of frozen berries from Andrew @ Rosy Farms by westlock last year it’s a U-pick place. Great berries taste like a huckleberry almost especially in a pie. High quality food for the kids throughout the winter. I tell them it’s a little taste of sunshine lol