Haskap... everything a berry should be!

Haskap berries have a long-standing tradition of medicinal use in Japan where they are referred to as "the fruit of life longevity".

Laboratory analysis shows it is high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, fiber and Potassium. Haskap also contain the minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, and Copper. Because of its high concentration of antioxidants, haskap can be used for many conditions and prevention of diseases.

Haskap have their own unique taste, color and texture. They have very tiny seeds that are eaten unnoticed with the berry. The taste has been described as tart/sweet and juicy and the flavor varies with varieties. They have a powdery blue skin like a blueberry but the skin is quite thin and melts in your mouth.

As for its uses, basically anything you would do with blueberries, you could also do with haskap: eat them fresh, in baking, as jam & jellies, topping, frozen, wine, tea, smoothies or whatever else you may think of!

795 Haskap Berry Farm is owned and operated by Randy Begg and his wife Brenda Da Ren. Since Randy was 14 years old he wanted to be a farmer so after high school he attended the University of Alberta where he earned a BSc. in Agriculture. Being rather naïve about the difficulty of becoming a new farmer Randy soon found it necessary to find work outside of agriculture; however, the dream of being a farmer has never disappeared and in 2015 Randy and Brenda bought a small farm. It was at this time that they were first introduced to haskap. After tasting and learning as much as they could about this amazing berry they knew this was their future.

Today the orchard contains several thousand haskap bushes, every single one of them planted by Randy, Brenda, and very helpful family members. It has been about 10 times the work as expected and many setbacks along the way, but they are still passionate about their orchard and hope to continue to grow the business. Perhaps even one day their young daughter will take the reins. If her love of eating the berries can transform into producing the berries then it just might happen!