Farm growing the haskap, the perfect berry for northern climate
The haskap, a fruit that looks similar to a blueberry, is being grown at a farm in New Liskeard.
Verger du Terrior has more than 20,000 haskap plants and the farm is trying to educate people on the up-and-coming fruit.
While the berry is still relatively uncommon in Ontario, the owners of Verger du Terrior said this week that it’s the perfect fruit to grow in northern Ontario.
“Once they are established, it’s a very hardy northern fruit. You don’t have to worry about them, they will survive the winter and the hard spring,” Louise Philbin said.
“They are better suited to the north than the south, which for once is unusual.”
The northern Ontario haskap farm is the largest commercial haskap orchard in the province.
“The really cool thing … is the fact that we have the opportunity to not only have the quality of berries, but the quantity, too,” said Sarah Boucher.
“We will be pulling over 120,000 pounds this harvest, which is quite astonishing considering they’re only halfway into their growth. They have another four years of growing to do.”
With three times the antioxidants than a blueberry, Boucher said the potential for haskaps is unlimited.
“Our varieties here are balanced, sweet, a bit of tanginess but they a gorgeous berry,” she said.
“A lot of people come in for health reasons, but also to bake, to press them and put them in beverages -- the options are really endless. We harvest the haskaps for the beverage industry, for juicing, distillery’s and brewers.”
The farm also offers pick-your-own-berries events a few days a week that sees hundreds of people come to the orchard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Man involved in Dartmouth, N.S., emergency alert earlier this week turns himself in
A 49-year-old man has been charged in connection with an alleged assault that happened earlier this week in Dartmouth, N.S.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Imagine living in a 4-foot body that doesn't develop chronic diseases
Nathaly Paola Castro Torres has a rare disorder called Laron syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation. It stunts her growth but also provides a hidden silver lining: Her body is protected from chronic diseases such as cancer that often take life away long before old age.
'Oh, there you go': Tyler Black, son of veteran broadcaster Rod Black, has memorable Major League Baseball debut
Canadian baseball player Tyler Black made a major splash in his first-ever big league game for the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night.
Groundbreaking American guitarist Duane Eddy dies age 86
Guitarist Duane Eddy, best known for twangy riffs on hits such as 'Rebel Rouser' and 'Cannonball,' has died at the age of 86.
Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.