I purchased these little haskap bushes last year at the Farmers' Market after reading information that suggested they would fit both my climate and my renter's garden (read: easily dismantled raised beds and containers) and I thought I would give them a try. They are a type of edible honeysuckle also known as 'honeyberries' and are good to go all the way down to zone 3! The jury is out as to whether they are native to Canada or not. Some sources suggest yes, others that they have naturalized here from other locations. For me all of those factors were enough to pique my interest so I picked up the two plants necessary to ensure good cross pollination.

After almost killing them last summer by underwatering they survived the winter and bounced back admirably. They sent up new shoots, blossomed, fruited, and today they surprised me with a few dark blue berries. I thought it seemed early, but most berries are ripe when they are the correct colour, so I picked them. After that however I learned that the case with haskaps is a bit different and that you have to check the taste to determine ripeness.

Nice dark blue berries - must be ready, right? Oh boy were they sour! Oh well - four berries is hardly enough to seem like a waste although they did not make very many berries this year. There are a couple more that I will try later on in the summer!