Harvest and Fruit Evaluation this week

Well the first crop of Russian based fruit is nearly ready to harvest so this week we will pick fruit and take pictures. The Robins and Cedar Waxwings are really enjoying the fruit but I just am not finding the energy to finish the netting. As well, the Japanese planting is really loaded and is more important to me at this time.

One of the interesting things growing from one plant is the chimera coloring on several shoots. Here are some leaves. I have set some semi hardwood cuttings today and hope they will root.

So far the flavor of the Russian fruit is not pleasant to the taste. I am hoping this will change but we do not have heat. We have also been short of rain so maybe that will be a contributing factor. I do know from working with Malting Barley that the uptake and expression of the polyphenols which give the dark color is enhanced by cool weather.

Unusaual Leaves and fruit setting

Fruit is setting and coloring up very well so now the bird net is going up as well! Here is a picture of a plant with what appears to be chimera coloring taking place. I hope to take cuttings this week and regrow these for next year.

Scientific study and more

As the Blue Honeysuckles are forming on the plants, my mind is forming questions which beg an answer!
1) Can Lonicera caerulea L. (and the variants or subspecies) be crossed with another Lonicera such as Zabelii to get red flowers? And not bring along the toxic quality of Zabelli!

2) Will the market in Canada get a chance to experience Edible Blue Honeysuckle as a fruit, juice, or preserve? Most effort is turned to getting into the Japanese market and it seems to me there is a great market waiting for a high antioxidant fruit juice which does not necessarily need good flavour; good flavour would be a plus of course!

3) Who will monitor the nursery trades to be sure what gets sold will actually be Haskap or Edible Blue Honeysuckle? As to breeders getting their money out of Royalties - if you don't have money to back your claim, propagators will just do it and not pay. Case in point is my friend Stan Zubrowski who registered his Clematis "Joe Zary" with the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation but could not afford to keep up the registration and now receives nothing for all the plants being sold!

4) Where are the good resources which help in the understanding of the different species of Edible Blue Honeysuckle? Here is a good one to start. Biologija 2007

5) Why is it that the robins are there when the fruit is turning blue and you don't have netting up yet?

If you dropped by to read this, hope your crop of Blue Honeysuckles, whatever you are calling them, is growing and will be a sweet harvest!!