Honeyberries!

 First fruits!

Honeyberries are a relatively new fruit that has been cultivated since the 1950's.  It is actually a type of honeysuckle that bears fruit, hence the name "honey" "berry".  They grow in the wild in areas of Eastern Europe and Asia and this is where cultivation began.  The plants are super winter-hardy and the flowers frost tolerant.  Because they are so cold tolerant, they are one of the first fruits ready to pick in the spring!  I just started picking my honeyberries this past week.

Last year, I actually had a good crop of honeyberries but the birds got them all so I made sure to put netting over them this spring.  The fruit is said to have the taste of a cross between blueberries and raspberries.  The fruit looks kind of like an oblong blueberry. 

Here is a pic of one of my honeyberry bushes covered with netting...don't mind the weeds, I am going to get in there and pull them out...some day...

I had never actually even heard of honeyberries but when we first moved to the farm, I was at the plant nursery and I was so excited to start planting something, anything!  The owner of the nursery said that they had some honeyberries.  You need 2 for cross pollination.  I bought 2.  I was so excited to see the fruit the next spring that I went and bought 6 more the next year!  Now, those first 2 bushes are really big...about as tall as I am!  

An added bonus is that they are super easy to grow!  They are not picky about the soil conditions and are super hardy.  If you are looking for something unique and different to grow, give honeyberries a try!

Have an eggcellent day!

~Denise