The earliest berry in the Ottawa food forests is haskap. The harvest window of haskap is about 3 to 4 weeks from the end of May to the third week of June.
It is the only honeysuckle that produces edible berries, which are known by many names, including honeyberries. It is native to Boreal regions in the Northern Hemisphere, including Canada, Japan and Russia. The name haskap comes from the Indigenous Ainu people of northern Japan, and means ‘many fruits on branches’.
Because it has 3x more antioxidants and 4x more anthocyanins than blueberries, haskap are considered the ‘berry of long life and good eyesight’. Fortunately, they are also delicious, super hardy, non-suckering, and easy to grow.
Ottawa Food Forests 