Next time you are at the beach, imagine jumping in your sailboat and
heading pretty much due west. Over that distant horizon is the island of
Hokkaido, Japan. After you go ashore, pay a visit to virtually any
grocery store and you will be able try jam, juice, wine and many other
products made from a berry they call Hascup. After you have rested
and eaten your fill, get back on board and continue west and you will
come ashore in eastern Russia, near Vladivostok. Visit a local
farmers market and you will find a similar looking berry, which the
Russians call Zhimolost.
We call these berries
Honeyberry.
They are native to Japan and Russia
and are prized there as much as we value
Blueberries
here. Most of us have never seen or heard of this fruit, which made it
even more intriguing to me when I first visited eastern Russia in 1998
and then Hokkaido in 2003.
Interestingly,
Honeyberry
is actually a member of the Honeysuckle family, from which it gets its
name. Honeyberry plants are typically small, attractive shrubs with velvety,
lime-green leaves.
What makes
Honeyberry
such a unique plant is its delicious, early ripening fruit. We are just
finishing our harvest, picking the last of our berries along with the
last of the strawberries.
Honeyberry
fruit is about the same size as a
Blueberry,
but more elongated. They are very flavorful and vary from sweet-tart
to sweet, depending on the variety. These powder-blue berries have juice
that is as dark as ink and are very high in vitamins and antioxidants.
They are great for fresh eating and make superb juice and preserves.
Growing
Honeyberry
is easy. They like a little shade in our climate, but can grow happily
in full sun (if we ever get any). They do not require acid soil as
Blueberries
do and are quite content growing without much fertilizer. Regular watering
is important as they are used to growing in regions with summer rain.
We also find that they need little pruning, just occasional thinning of
crowded branches.
Honeyberry
plants produce small, white flowers in early to mid-spring. You will
need two different varieties for cross-pollination, a process helped along
by bumblebees and also honeybees.
Honeyberry
plants are extremely hardy, to minus 40°F, and the flowers are not damaged
by spring frosts.
My Japanese and Russian friends invite you to grow and enjoy this important
fruit of their countries. It will add beauty to your landscape and put
tasty and nutritious berries on your table.
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