Happy Anniversary, haskapwine!

Just over a year ago (2008) my desk was beginning to be buried under an avalanche of information on haskap. My files were becoming crowded and I was printing/downloading more and more fool-scrap sheets of paper/data from the Internet. We had added 1,000 haskap plants to our property in June and August from an order with Prairie Plant Systems. And it was just starting to sink in that in the not-too-distant future I was going to have to deal with a very large number of haskap berries. So I thought, why not record this, both to better organize it, as well as to share it with others? After all, why not? So a year ago tomorrow marks my first entry on http://www.haskapwine.blogspot.com/. In so many ways 10,748 hits later it has proven to be a terrific year...not the least of which are so many of the individuals with whom I have worked, and who have been truly giving people. Who'da thunk it?

One of the simpler models about human life-cycle maturation that I have found goes like this. Life is roughly divided into three parts. In the first part people are involved in building skills and proving who they are. In this phase you hear the words, I can do it, I'm the best. Society is heavily involved in promoting this development; we assign grades, hand out achievement awards, and give coaching and hugs. In the second part we try to hold onto these notions of who we are, but in fact at this point everything that we built up starts to unravel: others get promoted and recognized, our spouse finds someone else more appealing, our bodies loose 1% of their strength capacity each year until our greatest physical output at age 60 is equal to our average physical strength at age 20. The third phase of maturation has to do with settling into longer-term notions of who we are, letting go of the false identities we have fought to defend, and bequeathing our knowledge and work to others. This is, of course an oversimplification of the true complexity of human life. But it has been a helpful model for me as a clinician who over the years worked with others who sometimes became stuck at certain stages, and who created havoc as a result. In truth, there is nothing more trying than being around a 55 year old who is still trying to prove that they are better than everyone else, when in fact they should be starting to think on how to share their vast experience for free with others. Of course you can always find the converse as well...individuals who are somehow mature beyond their years...people who have experienced the benefits of giving everything away even in adolescence. It is these later ones who are a joy to be around.

Today I am mindful of all of the people who I have met in the past year of learning about haskap and who have been giv-ers. I am truly thankful for you, the growers, the contributors of comments, the writers of articles, the board of Haskap Canada, the researchers, the wine makers, and just plain interested folk who share what you know and do, no matter how old you are. It only goes to prove that even with all the best intent, you can never fully plan such a terrific journey, but that mature people who give can make all sorts of good things happen!

So from my household to yours...Season's Greetings, Merry Christmas, and All the Best in 2010!

Bioactive Compounds of Honeysuckle - An Article In CJPP

In November of 2007, The Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (http://pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/rp-ps/journalDetail.jsp?jcode=cjpp) published an article entitled: Survey of Bioactive Compounds in Western Canadian Berries, (CJPP PDF web index page: http://nstl1.nstl.gov.cn/pages/2007/10/82/85(11).pdf). Berries native to Western Canada were analyzed for total anthocyanins, total phenolics, and trolox equivalent antioxidant activity (TEAC). It found that honeysuckle fruits contained the highest amount of polyphenols, lists these components, and provides similar data on behalf of other fruits: saskatoons, choke cherries, bilberries, golden currants, black raspberries, wild red raspberries, bunchberries, purple raspberries, crow berries, lingonberries, wild strawberries, red twinberries, and red nanking cherries. If you have access to a university or research subscription you can access the article, otherwise you will have to pay to access the article. One of the subscription services is: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18066116.

Thanks to Paul @ Battle River Berries - http://www.haskapberries.com/ - for this link!

Bee Hives?

Sometimes a comment warrants its own post. Today Mike responded to yesterday's post:

Mike said...

Hi Craig,You're right that Barbara's blog is a treat to read. You might, however, want to look into top bar hives rather than the standard Langstroth hive

See http://www.backyardhive.com, http://www.biobees.com/ (See his links page), http://www2.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/main.htm (Organic in more than one sense of the word & he'll probably appeal to your MacGyver side as well).

One might also want to think about native wild bees as well. They emerge earlier than honeybees which could be very significant to haskap pollination. I'll email you some pics and plans for native wild bee boxes.

Regards,

Mike
__________

Thank you, Mike! I will look into top bar hives as you urge. While I am certified organic, I am surrounded by conventional small grain farms. The quarter uphill to the south of me is a pasture and beyond that is Crown Land. Observing the pollinators from last year it was clear that bumble bees did the majority of the work. And they were extremely efficient. Honey bees are simply an experiment...and they will fit well with our apples and cherries. But I do worry about them when our neighbours spray and will visit with them to see if they can notify me as to when they plan to do so - and I can 'ground' my hive at that time. I welcome native bees as pollinators and would even try to encourage their taking up residence in my woodlot if I could. There is a lot more to fruit production than just getting the plants in the ground! Thanks for writing and send me what you have...

Craig

Planning For Pollination

Pollination is necessary for good fruit set in haskap. I recently stopped by Bee Maid in Winnipeg (http://www.beemaid.com/home). It has been 17 years since I raised honeybees, but it is time to start again. I placed an order ($10) for a New Zealand box of bees ($120) to be picked up at the end of April. Bumblebees did most of the job this past spring on our haskap, but I want to try and insure that we have enough insects out there at flowering time. Our nearest bee keeper is fifteen miles away...so I am not sure of how easily contaminated our hives might become with bee mites, but it is time to find out. A benefit of honeybees is that I will once again have an abundance of honey, which means that I will also be able to experiment with making mead. I will make my own hives like I did in the past...they are all to industry standard.

Here is a terrific website put up by a new beekeeper...it's a lively chronicle by someone learning beekeeping from the ground up, and represents the best of blogging: http://thebeejournal.blogspot.com/. If you access her profile you will find a great collection of beekeeping sites on the web.

Fermentation Pail Supplier

Last week I spent two days in Winnipeg picking up all the components to build a water filtration system here on my farm (http://makingwaterpotable.blogspot.com/). In the process I purchased food-grade drums from Great Western Container (http://www.gwcontainers.com/). They were exceptionally accommodating and had great products. In the process of inquiring about other products I found out that they sold wine fermentation pails - $8/ea.. They also had/can order a selection of other food grade containers, including individual packaging and specialty containers, etc. (http://www.gwcontainers.com/Default.aspx?tabid=76).

Mikro Chlor And Sparkle Brite (Diversol): A Comparison

Two sanitizing agents may be used in cleaning wine making equipment: Mikro Chlor and Sparkle Brite (Diversol) (http://haskapwine.blogspot.com/2009/11/sanitizing-agents.html). Various wine makers insist that these must be used in the proper maintenance of adequate home winemaking sanitation (http://www.mywinesense.com/pdf/sanitizing.pdf / http://www.cfhb.org/mead/cleaning_sanitation.htm). Both products are made up of chlorinated trisodium phosphates by chemical composition. You can read about trisodium phosphates here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisodium_phosphate , and the negative carcinogenic laboratory results here: http://potency.berkeley.edu/chempages/CHLORINATED%20TRISODIUM%20PHOSPHATE.html20PHOSPHATE.html . These cleanser/sanitizers are not carcinogenic to use, although phosphate levels are of major concern to the environment, overstimulating algae blooms if allowed to eventually enter runoff water systems.

In comparing the two products in the kitchen both had the exact same appearance, with the exception of colouration. The texture of the powder was the same to touch. Both dissolved at exactly the same rate and in the same manner in water. Both had the same odour to both the powder and once in solution. The texture of each solution felt exactly the same. And the rate and manner of cleaning stains occurred at the exact same rate and manner in each. The odour dissipated over the same time-span for each. Once rinsed both buckets were equally without a residual odour. And when water was tasted from each rinsed container no detectable taste was left over (e.g. perfumes, residual odours, etc.)
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To view the Mikro Chlor MSDS click: http://www.ecolabmsds.ca/..%5CMSDS1%5CINST_ALPHA_STP%5CMIKRO%20CHLOR.915645-13-EUK.PDF.





To view the Sparkle Brite (Diversol) MSDS click: http://westheat.com/MSDS/diversol.pdf.

Sanitizing Agents

Ecolab (http://www.ecolab.com/) produces sanitizing agents. One of their products is called Mikro Chlor and is a chlorine-release sanitizer for the kitchen industry. Another agent is Sparkle Brite (Diversol BX/A). Sparkle Brite is used as a chemical scrubber to clean wine bottles, etc., and is very efficient. I shall be trying Mikro Chlor on a trial basis.

Propagated Haskap

We cleaned up our raised garden boxes a week ago. It appears that out of the 200 cuttings we took from our Borealis in the early summer, about 40 appear to have survived. We did not take care of them past the first few weeks. I take great encouragement from this inasmuch that I believe that with appropriate rooting and care we can greatly increase our success.

St. Peter's Abbey: Haskap Producers

Soul, soul, an apple or two,
If you haven't an apple, a pear will do,
One for Peter, two for Paul,
Three for the Man Who made us all.

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - In the pre-reformation British empire All Hallows Eve was originally a time of both prayer and merriment in preparation for the Feast of All Saints. But following the English royalty's break with Rome, Queen Elizabeth forbade all observances associated with All Saint's Day. Yet in spite of her laws, the commoner's customs survived. These travelled from door-to-door asking bread in return for prayers. Even William Shakespeare himself places the words in the mouth of Speed (Two Gentlemen of Verona), that he knows he is in love because he has learned to speak pulling like a beggar at Hallow-mass (...words that must have escaped the queen!).

This Saturday. Down the colonnade of trees. Rehearsing the reality of life after death and the means to attain it. It is from charades around this theme at the doors of homes that the custom of masquerading on Halloween had its beginnings. But this day I find not charade. Not past the graveyard. Nor into a well-sculpted plantation of everything: saskatoons, and raspberries...and now haskap.

No. There is no herding these plants back at cock-crow. Just as there is no herding of the dead back, either. Nor am I dressed in costume. But I am just myself. A beggar to be sure. And of what do I beg? I am forced to tell ye this, miserable dearies, cries the witch, whether I would or no; so mark it well. If ye pray for the dead, they are released sooner from their torment of waiting in Purgatory and sped on the wings of light to their eternal reward. So go and knock and the woman will open to your knock, and sing as loud as ye can:


A soul cake,
a soul cake,
a prayer for a soul cake!


She will bear on her arm a basket of cakes and tell ye for whom ye are to pray. And may ye all choke on every crumb and find praying and eating at one and the same time as miserable as the torment I endure forever riding hungry on my broomstick! [1]






For me, mine are prayers of friend-to-friend who hopes that with the spring these plants will once again find a resurrection that produces good fruit...


..and that in plenty.










__________

60 haskap awaiting spring...

[1]http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0070.html

A Response To The Resveratrol Post (http://haskapwine.blogspot.com/2009/10/resveratrol.html)

Hello Craig,

I read your post about Resveratrol. Then I read the Wikipedia article to which you referred. I remembered a biochemist's words about fruits, that a plant’s primary way of protecting itself is through its biochemistry. Unlike animals, plants cannot leave in order to avoid the things that will destroy it. Plants fight hardship by their biochemistry. Indeed, animals also have evolved their own biochemistry. But it is interesting that many of the things that plants produce to protect themselves are also suitable protectors for people too. A ready example of this is vitamin C (ascorbic acid). The vitamin C found in lemons amounts to 40 mg/100 g. But we are finding that northern berries often have even higher levels! We find that this applies not only between different species (like lemons and black currants or cranberries), but that it works for different cultivars even within the same species. Take for example southern and northern crab apples. In Russia it is a very popular question (but only in scientific conferences :) ) to ask how much vitamin C (or other useful compounds) is contained within the fruit being discussed?

When I think of producing fruit for local fruit markets I think that this is a very important question to raise for people. The question of local marketing has many another sides to it as well, and I hope we will talk about these in the future.

Artem
[edited by cdl]

(Artem Sorikin - Fruit Crops Genetic Resources, Department Head, St. Petersburg, Russia - http://haskapwine.blogspot.com/2009/10/artem-sorokin-haskap-researcher.html)

_________

On a personal note, I am exceptionally pleased that Artem wrote a response on this blog! Blogs are not commercial websites. Blogs are designed to allow for continual updating. They are an interactive medium for proposing and exchanging ideas...even debate (although I am too shy for that!). Most websites are static and still prone to use words to communicate. But the web is a visual medium, able to produce graphics, colours, and images that can persuade and please and overwhelm. We often see two extremes on the internet...a website that is never updated, and blogs with owners who espouse just plain kooky opinions or who are enamoured with their egos. But the ability of a blog to provide a range of valid data to others is a great thing. Thank you, Artem, for writing and sharing your insights and keying us into things for which to look. Thank you for being my friend. And thank you for all you are doing on behalf of edible blue honeysuckles. Ciao, Artem!

Only As Good As Its Water

Nothing is more important to producing any sort of quality processed agricultural product than good water. Our own water supply on the farm is not contaminated. But it does have several undesirable qualities: hardness, iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn). I am currently working on designing a new water system; I hope to have it operational by spring. I doubt if I will be able to use it to add to any product. However, I am hoping to be able to use it as a cleaner, less chemically contaminated, more cost effective, and more sustainable source of water for washing, etc.. Simply stated I hope to precipitate or iron and manganese with chlorine. Next, carbon remove chlorine and other impurities. And a final sand filtration will polish the water. All of this will be my own design, all the way down to the making of the charcoal, and I am even hoping to figure out how to activate it myself as well. I do have experience designing and installing various types of sand filters for water purification in southeast Asia. You may follow my progress at: http://makingwaterpotable.blogspot.com/

Resveratrol

Someone recently sent me an email, a part of which reads:

Of interest is that wine production helps preserve some of the beneficial compounds..at least that is true of resveritrol.

For a wikipedia article on resveratrol go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol

...in this article the amounts of resveratrol are listed for several wines. What is the content of resveratrol in haskap and haskap wine?

Thank You Saskatchewan

Nine years ago we started to diversify our property. At the time we had 141 acres of alfalfa under production for sale to a local market. We baled small square bales. People told us that there was no future in small square bales. They were wrong. And everyone told us that only small grains were worthwhile. They were wrong about that as well. But it really is a matter of perspective. From the perspective of every organization from provincial government all the way down to local lobbyists, the things that are in place are there to protect the economy that has been developed. And that is a good thing...in part. After all, people make investments of time and capital to build a life. Make these investments unsustainable and investors become upset. So many props are set in place to keep these incentives going. But environments and governments are always bouncing off of one another. Ten years ago we looked around us and saw signs that our area was open to new ways of supporting ourselves through agriculture. We began shifting in that direction. Of course since I was new to the area at the time I was by default stupid. Each area has its own ways of cultivation and when a newcomer starts asking questions about these things you might as well tattoo something on your forehead that explains to others that you are naive and ignorant. But having farmed in several other locales we also brought with ourselves something that people who had lived here their whole life did not have - a broader base of experience than is possible to gain here alone, and a willingness to try new things. The second year here I had an argument in our alfalfa field one day with a man with whom I was farming shares...I had the land, he had the equipment, we donated equal amounts of work and split the proceeds. I questioned whether we could speed up the curing time after cutting if we implemented a new practice. He said that we could not. I said that we should experiment on a very limited basis and try each method side-by-side and see what happened. He refused to do so simply stating his opinions as to why it would not work. I had to wait until he went home at the end of the day before I could go out and cut the hay in the manner necessary to carry out the experiment. The next day he was angry when he came and saw what I had done. We argued some more. A day later, however, the newer method proved better. Everything we have done on our property has been modified and/or questioned since we took up agriculture here. It was no different when it came to fruit production.

When I first started looking into growing fruit here I was told that it could not be done. I was told this by local farmers as well as by governmental officers. I was sent packing to Morden, MB, which at one time had a viable fruit program, but was informed by them that it no longer did...sorry! At the time I did not have access to the internet. I spent a year stopping by nurseries. But once again, everything functioned in-province. All of my contacts were in the dark and prone to say what was not possible. And then one day someone mentioned the work being done at the U of S. What I discovered there still boggles my mind. Suddenly I was invited to hands-on workshops on fruits of all kinds...species and varieties that were quite viable where I live. I cannot adequately say how refreshing it was to meet people who had a can-do, innovative spirit. I think that the fruit development program at the U of S is so applicable precisely because it is not mired down in protecting some way of life that is entrenched in the historical psyche of the province. And this speaks well for everyone who lives there: government legislators and officials, researchers, and producers. At Haskap Day this year there was a broad sense of dynamism...optimistic people doing encouraging things. I still remember the first time I went to the Horticultural Field Lab and was put to work pruning apples for a day. I was dumb (once again!)...and made mistakes, but now all these years later it is second nature. I have had consistent bud-grafting success of over 75% - all of which I owe to my teachers. I am getting older. I have a limited number of seasons with which to grow fruit. There is an urgency I am sensing. It was the same doing development work overseas. I have little patience waiting for initiatives in anything. If you can conceive of it, then go and try it out! Do not wait another season. People who live far away from your own daily life will likely never come through. And this year we had our first harvest of eight varieties of apples from our trees. What a sweet taste of success!!! Thank you Bob Bors and Rick Sawatsky...two Saskatchewan treasures!!!

Launching: www.sharingthelittlepurpleberry.blogspot.com

www.sharingthelittlepurpleberry.blogspot.com

Clayton Wiebe - Edible Blue Honeysuckle Collector, Breeder, Propagator, Evaluator

Clayton outside one of his haskap plantations (netted)

There are some people you meet who are immediately engaging. Clayton Wiebe is such a person.

He sat behind me at the Haskap Canada annual meeting last year. Introducing myself over a coffee break I learned that he had had a career as a barley researcher for the U. of S.. So why was he in a haskap meeting? Because for many years he had already been collecting edible blue honeysuckle from around the world. Retired, he now has hundreds of plants in his private collection on his property and spends a great deal of his energy carefully considering the characteristics of propagation, breeding, and plant care necessary to good production. He has become an invaluable friend and has raised critical questions for me like only a person trained in a lifetime of field observation is able to do. Clayton has volunteered around the world making it a more fit place to live. In my mind the haskap community is exceptionally fortunate to have a man like this on their side...

Clayton writes: http://haskap.blogspot.com/, and http://aprairiejournal.blogspot.com/.

The International Association of Northern Viticulture (IANV)

The International Association for Northern Viticulture (IANV) was established in 2006 and is a non-profit organization. IANV seeks to promote the advancement of viticulture in northern climates. IANV does this by: disseminating information about successes in northern viticulture, encouraging dialogue among enthusiasts, grape breeders, and researchers across international boundaries, supporting relevant research, and expanding private and commercial opportunities in northern grape production.

IANV is hosting their 2009 international conference near Montreal, Quebec in another month. Perhaps there would be some information being shared that is relevant to the production of haskap wine?

Conference information:

http://vitinord.org/Homes/index/language:eng

Propagation Licensing

This past August I signed a propagation contract with the University of Saskatchewan. Before you send me an email asking about availability of haskap for 2010, let me make the reasons clear as to why I did this.

The first reason that I inquired into propagation licensing is because I started experimenting with various methods of propagating haskap outdoors this past summer. I experienced moderate success with these half-hearted attempts. In response to this I decided that I had better find a way to pay for these successes. After all, hundreds of thousands of dollars went into the development of this plant: salaries, field equipment, lab equipment, support staff, land, taxes, etc...it's not free. And further research is continuing to be done in order to develop even better varieties. Let's face it, the current $.50 per plant royalty asked by the university is one of the better deals in life right now! Why wouldn't I pay this, unless I were a thief or reckless or prideful? So I contacted the U. of S. and told them what I was doing and inquired whether there was not some way that I could make this up? After some discussion they sent me a propagation contract. In August it was made formal. I think that I owe them about $15.00 in another month...compared to $10.00 per plant for 30 plants from a licensed propagator, that's a savings of $285.00. I can live with that.

The second reason that I inquired into a propagation agreement is that I saw it as a way to economically expand my own orchard. I have 1,000 haskap currently planted. If four cuttings from each plant survived rooting, that means that by 2011 I could have 5,000 plants in the ground. Now the truth is that I do not have any desire to tend an orchard of 5,000 plants. But in terms of a food source for wildlife, wouldn't it be terrific to be producing on that scale? Also, the value of my property would increase by much more than the royalty fees incurred. And who knows who is coming down the road at the time of my retirement and might be looking to get into fruit production in a big way with an already developed orchard? And not least of all is also the question of who knows what will happen in the future in regard to my being able to harvest this fruit mechanically? I also have a great desire to see the nutritional level of certain people in my region substantially improved...perhaps I will simply give all of this produce away during a Free U-Pick Haskap Day. What fun! I love giving stuff away...

The third and final reason for signing up with a propagation license has to do with my desire to stimulate local growers to produce food for local markets. This has much to do with the politics of food and food distribution (http://haskapwine.blogspot.com/2009/09/emerging-politics-of-haskap.html). My desire is to stimulate small growers who will grow haskap for local markets. Talking with a friend who has been involved in both agricultural research his whole life, and who now has his own private collection of hundreds of edible blue honeysuckle from around the world, we both agree, tending a haskap orchard is not for the faint of heart. Twenty-five percent of the plant needs to thinned each year in order to maintain fruit production and to perhaps control disease? Twenty to fifty plants will keep most people quite busy during the spring. But let's face it, there may be many people across this country who desire to sit in a farmer's market with a few buckets of haskap, but who may not be either able to or comfortable paying $200 - $500 for this species since so much is still unknown about it. I understand. It took us two years to save the money to buy our plants at a bulk price a year ago. It was a huge risk we took, and in truth nobody really knows how this is all going to turn out in the end. So this is what I am going to do. I am going to offer haskap in lots of 20 on a limited basis for a dollar per plant (plus shipping, etc.) starting next summer to small growers for local consumption. Stay tuned for the details. Do not contact me right now. But there is a catch. The condition for taking advantage of this offer is that these local growers will offer 10% - 20% of their haskap to local people who cannot afford food for free. You will be at your own discretion as to how you will distribute this...through your church, or your temple, or local civic organization, or just by delivering an ice cream pail of this to an unemployed family or someone in a elder care facility. It's up to you. Larger programs will not meet these needs. Licensed propagators who supply plants on a grander scale look to making money from those who desire to plant on a grander scale. My offer is for small, local industry. I will write a proposal later. But to be honest, this is my primary goal in becoming a licensed propagator...quick dessimination of these plants over as wide a geographical and economic landscape as possible.

These are the reasons that I became a licensed propagator and I encourage you to buy your plants from a licensed propagator, or to become one yourself. If you are interested in the possibility of becoming a licensed propagator, then send your inquiries to Dorothy Murrell, Managing Director, Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan: dorothy.murrell@usask.ca.

Artem Sorokin, Haskap Researcher

Artem Sorokin has been working with edible Russian blue honeysuckle since 1996. His first work with the crop was in researching heteroploid cross-pollination. Following that he investigated seed and vegetative propogation by two methods, using soft wood cuttings and in vitro. Since 2003 he has worked at the Vavilov Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, with their new fruit crop collection. He is currently: Department Head, Curator, Collections of Underutilized Crops (Lonicera, Schizandra, Hippophae, Actinidia, Viburnum). Their Lonicera caerulea collection currently has more then 400 accessions. Last year he spoke at the University of Saskatchewan about his work.

Putting Our Haskap To Bed For The Winter

The area in which we now have our haskap orchard was a turf that I had originally taken out of alfalfa production and built for my children so that they could play baseball and soccer. My children are grown and gone from home now. This site sits on a slight slope, so it is well drained. In preparation for the haskap I had worked down the turf, cultivating and discing. I did not spray it since we are organic. I then used a three-bottom moldboard plow to cut furrows. We stretched plastic mulch between these furrows and then I used a snowplow blade to put soil back on top of the plastic in order to anchor it. And then we planted our haskap at one metre intervals going down these rows. Most of our rows are approximately 100 metres long. Spacing between rows is about eighteen or twenty feet. We desire to have grass between our rows because of the heavy clay content of the soil…if it is wet, then you sink into goo several inches deep. This is not conducive to any type of harvest method. So we both seeded grass (Timothy) as well as are expecting the mix of grass previously seeded to eventually emerge and fill in between the rows. The rows were planted wide enough for me to drive my haying equipment down and to harvest the hay from this area a couple of times each year. Electric fencing surrounds our haskap…it can be lowered to ground level in order to allow the haying equipment to maneuver at the ends of the rows. And if there ever comes a time when I can use a mechanical harvester, then our fencing will not hinder its operation either. This summer at Haskap Day Rick Sawatzky was very clear in stating that stressing apples can have a positive effect on them, forcing them to over-compensate due to the competition that something like grass will draw out of them. But he was equally clear that grass planted near haskap does not appear to have the same effect, but that grass will detract from haskap production. I believe him. So why plant a haskap orchard in this manner? First of all, in the spring, this area gets a great degree of runoff from the snow trapped in the bush uphill. This creates serious erosion in this area. Secondly, the mud in this area can be hideous. Not only can you sink several inches into it, but it will hold tight to your boot when you try to extract it. Thirdly, since we are planning to have part of our harvest be a U-Pick I think that it is important to be able to allow people access to this area in spite of the weather. Fourthly, this area is exposed to the effect of wind. We do have a windbreak that is in the process of growing around it. But even with this I think that it is important to be able to provide adequate snow cover in the winter, insulating the ground. I think that if you are looking to maximize your haskap production you will want to experiment with your planting methods to find out what works best. For us we realize that this may well be a compromise…but we think that it is a good one, and judging from the production we saw on our Russian cultivars which have been planted in similar fashion, it is one that we can live with!

Last winter our haskap were mere sprigs sticking out of strips of plastic, surrounded by bare dirt. And they survived. And they not only survived…they survived a brutally cold winter of four months of minus forty. This winter we have let the grass grow between the rows of haskap here at the very end of the season. This will hopefully allow it to reseed itself, branch out below ground, as well as to provide a way to catch more snow, providing better protection.

Robyn And Ian Nerbas, Haskap Producers

Robyn and Ian Nerbas planted 300 haskap plants last year on their property near Russell, Manitoba. Ian also mines; Robyn runs her own business. They are currently working to develop local food for a local market. Keen observers in the field I recently stood in their orchard as Robyn raised critical questons while pointing out subtle differences in plants, corresponding soil types, and this summer's weather. They, like several others, have noticed atypical, out-of-season growth on some of their plants, but not all of them, and are wondering why? They have used limited amounts of manure from their llamas (http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/regs/nmpro/apptcj05.htm) in limited applications as a slurry to fertilize their plants, which are planted in plastic mulch. If care alone were fertilizer, their plants would already be a metre tall.

Government Contacts

If you are thinking of planting edible blue honeysuckles you may already have local growers and demonstration plots growing nearby. Many provinces are actively researching this plant and have planted demonstration plots, and are aware of local growers who are taking individual initiative. Check out the Government Contact Widget in the sidebar of http://haskap-canada.blogspot.com/:

Specific blogs on that site highlighting the governmental contacts that have chosen to be listed at Haskap Canada are as follows and may be in your area:

http://haskap-canada.blogspot.com/2009/09/government-contact-widget-new-bruswick.html

http://haskap-canada.blogspot.com/2009/07/provincial-contact-widget.html

Did You Know?

Haskap Berry

Four crops - rice, corn, wheat, and potatoes - make up more of the world's food production than all of the other crops combined. An incredible 90% of the foods humans eat come from 15 species of plants and 8 species of animals. [1]

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[1] Science 10, Nelson Thomas Publishing: Ontario, 2001, p. 107

The Emerging Politics Of Haskap

Does everyone in Canada have a right to food?

Does everyone in Canada have a right to eat the healthiest food?

Does everyone in Canada have the same rights to food irregardless of their creed, or their culture, or their education, or their station in life, or their income level, or whether they are mentally sound, or even whether they choose to work or not?

There is no issue today that is more political than that of food. In the end everyone may not own a car. Everyone may not own property. Everyone does not go on for higher education. But everyone eats.

There is not a question as to whether Canadians want to pass by people who are starving on the streets of our cities and towns or not. If this is so, then the next question we need to raise is whether there should be a discrepancy as to the quality of food to which people have access? Should the wealthy get better food than the children of an unemployed parent? If everyone is to have equal access to nutritionally beneficial food, then food needs to be de-politicized…taken out of the political arena.

In 2002 I worked in a city and befriended a first nations family. Both father and mother had jobs. He worked at cleaning a machine shop at night; she worked at cleaning a nursing home by day. They were each paid a minimum wage. They had three school age children. In spite of being frugal, they could not make ends meet. As I got to know them I discovered their need. I asked their permission and for a few dollars a month I took them to the grocery store, where they stocked up on staples: flour, milk, meat, fresh produce. Not once did they buy anything extravagant, unless I put it in their cart for them. Visiting the food bank with them the most atrocious items were on the shelves: week-old cinnamon rolls and Twinkies. For a year I fed their family with nutritional food out of my own pocket. I was ashamed of being Canadian when other white middle-class people criticized me for doing so. I was breaking white middle-class cultural taboos. In the end I told them that I found it ironic that what I was doing was wrong in their eyes, because after all, all I had done was to make an individual decision in a culture that enshrines individualism. This is the basis of the politics of food…those who can afford good food have a right to better food, and those who cannot afford good food, cannot access better food.

But now we encounter the irony of haskap, namely, that it is easy to grow across Canada, and at the same time contains an extremely high amount of nutrition.

Of course there will be a market for this fruit among processors, both big and small. It is not my intent to bring this into question. But it is my intent to ask who has the right to benefit from this tremendous food, and at what cost? And then a personal question…what can I do to make this fruit more accessible to people who have traditionally not had access to the best of foods?

I have some thoughts on this and will spin them out over the course of the next couple of weeks…

Two New Articles From Bob Bors

Two excellent articles were recently put on the Haskap Canada website.

The first article is about Dr. Artem Sorokin from Vavilov Institute in Russia. Dr. Sorokin spent a month with Dr. Bors collecting wild Blue Honeysuckle and visiting fruit farms in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Read it at:

http://haskap.ca/BobBorsLectures/A%20Visitor%20from%20Russia.pdf

The second article deals with a comparison of Haskap to other berry crops. In it Dr. Bors compares Haskap with Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries and Saskatoons. Read it at:

http://haskap.ca/BobBorsLectures/Haskap%20Sister%20crops.pdf

Lonicera Caerulea and UVB Protection

Here's a link to a new article sent to me by Dave Negrych which was published by the faculty of medicine at the University of Palacky in the Czech Republic (http://www.atgcchecker.com/pubmed/19747801):

Lonicera caerulea and Vaccinium myrtillus fruit polyphenols protect HaCaT keratinocytes against UVB-induced phototoxic stress and DNA damage.

BACKGROUND: Sunlight is a very potent environmental factor in skin pathogenesis and can induce skin cancer. UVB irradiation is known to cause oxidative stress, inflammation and especially DNA damage. Topical application of agents with UV absorbing, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities is a successful strategy in the protection of the skin against UV-caused damage. OBJECTIVE: To examine the ability of the phenolic fraction of Lonicera caerulea and Vaccinum myrtillus fruits to moderate UVB-induced damage. METHODS: HaCaT keratinocytes, a well-established in vitro system for investigations on UV radiation induced cell damage, were used to assess the effects of pre- and post-treatment with L. caerulea (LCE) and V. myrtillus (VME) phenolic fractions (5-50mg/l) on keratinocyte damage induced by a solar simulator (295-315nm). RESULTS: In this study, a model of UVB-induced damage to HaCaT was established. LCE and VME efficiently reduced the extent of DNA breakage (especially at concentrations of 25 and 10mg/l) together with caspase-3 and -9 activity and DNA laddering induced by UVB (100 or 200mJ/cm(2)). LCE and VME significantly decreased RONS generation and partially diminished IL-6 expression. LCE pre-treatment also prevented keratinocytes proliferation. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the phenolic fraction of L. caerulea and V. myrtillus fruits suppress UVB-caused injury to keratinocytes. These results now need to be demonstrated in vivo.

Haskap Open House

On September 12th, Haskap Central Sales (http://www.haskapcentral.com/) is hosting a fall open house at their orchard near Prince Alberta, SK (Henribourg). For more information contact Curtis Braaten at: info@haskapcentral.com or (306) 764-2514.
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...and related follow-up:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/06/30/berries.html

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=264744&sc=4

Russian Blue Honeysuckle Berries Still On Plant

This is a pic from this morning. Birds have not found this plant that I used for my dissections and which was un-netted a month ago. The berries that are left are huge, and all sense of astringency are absent. But the berries also readily dropped off when I moved the branches in order to take this pic. If there are any left on Monday, then I will perform my final dissection and analysis of them at that time.

Blue Honeysuckle Berry Bonsai!

Bonsai artists in Norway?


http://norwegianbonsai.blogspot.com/2009/08/blue-honeysuckle-1.html


Isn't it good, this Norwegian Wood?


I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me...
She showed me her room, isn't it good, norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere,
So I looked around and I noticed there wasn't a chair.

I sat on a rug, biding my time, drinking her wine.
We talked until two and then she said, "It's time for bed"

She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh.
I told her I didn't and crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke, I was alone, this bird had flown
So I lit a fire, isn't it good, norwegian wood.

The Beatles - Rubber Soul album (1965)



The song is written in E major. Although the motif for the melody, the first six notes, sounds as if it is directly lifted from the third movement of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, they are in fact drawn from the antarã [upper-octave variation] of a well-known gat [fixed composition set to a rhythmic accompaniment] of the late-night raga Bageshree, in Hindustani classical music.

...just some thoughts to chew on as you put your haskap to bed this fall! :)

Late Season Growth

With the coolness and rain of this summer some
growers are reporting late-season growth on Borealis. What this means is uncertain, considering that leaf buds are established for the following season immediately after the fruit sets in the spring...the buds going into dormancy until the next year.

Evans Cherry Wine

During the first week of August we picked 25# of Evans cherries. We removed the stems and washed 20# of these, leaving the pits. I crushed these by hand...no stones were broken. I placed these in a primary fermenter. On top of this I added 10# of cane sugar and poured in enough boiling water to top up the bucket to 23L. I stirred this until the sugar was dissolved and set it aside to cool. Once cool I added 4 tsp. acid blend, 1.25 tsp. tannin, 2.25 tsp. pectic enzyme, 2.25 tsp. yeast nutrient, and 3 tsp. yeast...and for insurance, 1 litre of grape concentrate. The specific gravity of this mix measured 1.116 on August 11...a potential alcohol value of 15.5%! We let this begin to ferment, pushing down the mash daily until the 13th when we poured the mix through a nylon web bag, straining out the skins and pits, transferring the rest into a carboy. This carboy we placed in a large canning cauldron as it was bound to overflow...which it did until we removed enough liquid to allow it to not do so. Yesterday I racked this mix into a new carboy and topped up. It continues to ferment with great vigour and will be left here for a month, then will be racked again and stabilized, left for a month, racked another time and then sampled.