Could the Polish blue honeysuckle take the lead on the blueberry?
Anna Litwin, from Blue Haskap, has embarked on a mission to let consumers know that the fresh blue honeysuckle they may have tried a few years ago has nothing to do with the new varieties that are now being grown in Poland.
The edible blue honeysuckle, also known as chupamiel, is successfully grown not only in northeastern Russia, China, Japan and Canada, but also in European countries such as Great Britain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Croatia and Poland. The plant is not demanding in terms of cultivation and is resistant to diseases, so it does not need too many chemical interventions. As a result, it is easy to grow organically.
"My parents started to grow blue honeysuckle at 2012, believing it to be a crop with a lot of potential in a Polish over-saturated apple market. Two factors were those that helped them make the decision: one was that, from the economic point of view, it made sense, but they were also convinced of all the benefits that the fruit offered to health. They started with the Polish varieties that, in reality, only served for their transformation, but this year we are expanding the production area to 2,5 hectares with much sweeter and more flavorful varieties from Canada, such as Aurora, Indigo Gem and HoneybeeLitwin explains.
Blue Haskap plants bushes of 2 or 3 years of age so that they begin to produce already the following year small quantities of berries for their fresh consumption. However, the company works with partners that already have 4 or 5 plants years of age of Canadian varieties, so they can supply the market around 20 or 30 tons of berries this year.
In general, the recent weather conditions of mid-April and early May have caused the season to start a week later than usual, but that has not affected the quality nor caused any damage or loss.
"One of the most important characteristics of this plant is the resistance to frost. While the flowers of other plants (strawberries, cherries, apples, etc.) have been frozen almost completely by the drop in temperatures in early May, the blue honeysuckle has not been damaged. The flowers can resist even -11 ° C".
The harvest is expected to start around the June 20 and all the fruits are harvested in 2 weeks. The period of availability is very short because, if harvested too late, the berries soften a lot and begin to fall off the branches.
"Blue honeysuckle is in demand around the world. We sell our berries to national processors, but we also have customers in the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom interested in fresh fruit for supermarket shelves. Some customers in Canada and Japan look for frozen product as well. We look to the future with optimism and we are sure that the blue honeysuckle will have as much demand as the blueberry in the near futureLitwin concludes.
Sources: Fresh Plaza
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