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
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.