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Honey, Please Be Mine

Sydney Jordan Brown
Latest posts by Sydney Jordan Brown (see all)

 

Even without chocolates so divine, 

Sweet roses or fine wine,

Honey, I’d rather you’d still be mine.

Looking for something a little longer lasting to lavish upon a loved one (or maybe just yourself?) this Valentine’s Day and beyond?  Then look no further. Long after those customary chocolates have been consumed, the rose petals wilted, and the dregs of wine drunk, a honeyberry will keep on giving for years to come.

While edible blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) is the name best describing this unique species of shrub, it has several other names: Honeyberry, Haskap, Sweetberry, Blue Fly, and Blue-Berried Honeysuckle. Here in the US, you’ll likely find it listed as “Honeyberry”. Blue Honeysuckles are deciduous shrubs native to Eastern Siberia (the Russian Far East, where it’s called zhimolost), as well as Northern Japan (known as “Haskap”).  It’s only been since around 2000 that improved plants were propagated in the US at Saskatchewan Extension (AK) and by the late Maxine Thompson (OR). Today there are many varieties available for home gardeners.

Exceptionally hardy (surviving to around minus 40°), they can bloom at 20° long before spring strawberries. Oblong, rectangular or teardrop-shaped dusky-skinned fruits have a taste reminiscent of blueberries, blackberries, black currant, and black raspberry with a kick of tartness. With peak ripeness during spring (six to eight weeks after blooming is done), these little beauties will fill your picking pot for several months to come. The later-blooming Asian cultivars ripen over extended periods. But if you just can’t wait to taste those elongated gems, go for the earlier blooming Russian strains that ripen all at once.

If taste alone isn’t convincing enough, one surely can’t ignore the rich amounts of beneficial antioxidant polyphenols that honeyberries provide like those found in other dark blue/purple plants and fruits.  Aside from their fresh offerings, they’re also superlative in cobblers, pies, jam, ice cream, sorbet or anything else where blueberries might be used. With varieties such as Blue Lightning, Cinderella, Indigo Yum, Blue Velvet and Borealis, just to name a few, how could one resist gifting one of these most fruitful plants?

Lastly, honeyberries are remarkably easy to grow. Their only non-negotiable requirement is that of needing a pollinator to produce fruit. So, if you have a bit of a well-drained sunny space with some filtered afternoon shade, they’ll do quite well with offerings of good quality low nitrogen compost, regular irrigation and compatible pollinators*. As for pests, the only one likely to be pilfering your produce is you!

* For successful pollination, one must select pollinators blossoming within the same group that are: early, early-mid, mid and late blossoming. The catalog sources below suggest varieties that pair best for successful fruiting.

Resources:

Montana State University Haskap Berry: The New Super Fruit – Montana State University

Colorado Gardener Honeyberry: The Delicious Blue Honeysuckle

Cold Climate Gardening Honeyberries, the Edible Blue Honeysuckle: A Fruit for Cold …

Sources:

One Green World

https://onegreenworld.com

They have one of the best selections of honeyberries

Rain Tree Nursery

www.raintreenursery.com

They have four varieties

Recipe:  Honeyberry Crisp

Preheat oven to 375°.  Oil the bottom and sides of a 9” heavy square baking pan.

Filling:

4 cups fresh (or frozen) honeyberries, washed and drained

1 cup of organic cane sugar

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or oat flour for gluten free

¾ cup organic regular rolled oats

½ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional, but delicious!)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons whole wheat or oat flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup organic white grape or apple juice concentrate

3 tablespoons whole wheat or oat flour

1” piece fresh ginger root, finely grated

Stir together ¼ cup sugar, flour, oats and salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest. Work in oil until mixture is crumbly. Press half the mixture in the bottom of prepared pan. Mix honeyberries, grape juice, the remaining sugar, 3 tablespoons flour and ginger root. Pour in to prepared baking pan then sprinkle over the remaining oat crumble mix. Bake in preheated oven for about 40-56 minutes. Makes about 6-8 servings.