Superfruit growing in West Earltown
High in antioxidants, the haskap berry is growing in popularity
WEST EARLTOWN, N.S. – When Stephanie Banks tasted the sweet but tart flavour of the haskap berry she was hooked. Now she not only eats the berries every day, she grows them.
“The flavour is phenomenal, they’re very high in antioxidants,” she said.
“My husband and I went to a Haskap Growers Association of Nova Scotia meeting in Bridgewater, and there was a blind taste test of eight juices high in antioxidants. There were 15 people trying them, and all except one chose haskap as the best tasting.”
In 2013 they planted 10 acres of Sweet Earth Farm, in West Earltown, with the berries, which are often called “superfruit.” There are about 100 plants, which take about five years to mature, per acre. Harvest takes place in July.
“The berries have two layers of skin, making them extremely high in antioxidants and other nutrients.,” she said. “We had testing done for one type of antioxidant and they had over five times the level in blueberries. One customer called them blueberries on steroids.”
The berries have been used to create preserves, juice, sauces, hard cider, mead, kombucha, liqueur and beer. They can also be added to things like smoothies, muffins, granola and pancakes.
The family feeds any of the berries that can’t be sold to the animals on the farm. They have Berkshire pigs, chickens, and a small herd of belted Galloway cattle.
“We’ve never farmed at this scale before, but my husband has a green thumb,” said Banks.
Their orchard has been certified organic since 2018 and they use biological farming practices, adding organic minerals, compost tea, molasses and other organic products to the soil.
Pruning is done when plants are dormant, and some of the work can take place on a mild winter day if snow melts.
To introduce more people to the berries, Banks has set up a table at the Truro Farmers’ Market.
“I found a lot of people there had heard of them but hadn’t tasted them,” she said. “A lot of them bought berries after tasting them.
She will have a display, with samples of frozen haskap berries, at Seedy Saturday this year. The event is being held Saturday, Feb. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Douglas Street Recreation Centre.