Minnesota Horticulture: Blueberry, Honeyberry, and Pink Lemonade Blueberry
Now This is a Blueberry
Blueberries Are Not Always Blue or Round
Yes, dear, there are other colors of blueberries in addition to blue. There are pink blueberries. Blueberries also have been known to be long instead of round. I know this, because I planted Honeyberries this past year. I am anxiously waiting to eat my first berry. I am looking forward to it.
It seems that when I plant these plants or small trees, my dogs find them and apparently find them to be quite comfortable. Yes. My dog has been known to lay down on my blueberry plants. I yell. I push him away. I hope that the berry plant survives. I will assume that my warranty does not include damage from canines. Time will tell.
The Flavor of a Blueberry
I would describe a blueberry as being round, blue, and the flavor can range from sweet to tart. The texture is mixed. The outside skin is firm, but as soon as you break through with your teeth, you get a burst of squish. The flavor isn't sweet, it's tart. I think I am tasting it in the back of my tongue,not the front, so there isn't much sweetness in a blueberry.
They are addicting, however. I bought a box of them and devoured them very quickly. That's the other thing. A blueberry isn't very filling. I think I could eat quite a few of them. Blueberries are one of the fruit that I have tried to grow from seed. I haven't been successful yet and planting bushes outside hasn't panned out either.
Did I mention that my dogs love blueberries. I think they like them better than the blanket I have in the garage for them. Yeah. They like to sleep on the plants. Grrrrr!
Honeyberry Tree
Edible Honeysuckle - Honeyberry - Haskap
I do not have a Honeyberry bush growing, yet. The bush I planted years ago, did not survive. I was introduced to Honeyberry through my nursery catalog that I received in the mail. It was a novelty plant when I first heard about it.
You can buy them online from several sources. Directly, they are called Haskap and there is a home gardening webpage in Alberta Canada that explains how to grow them.
What is Haskap? Alberta Home Gardening has the following explanation:
Haskap is an amazingly hardy, fast- H growing, high yielding, great tasting berry bush that is relatively new to North America. It is an edible honeysuckle that originates from Siberia and can be found in Russia, China, and Japan. It goes by the name ‘Honeyberries’, ‘Blue Honeysuckle’, and ‘Haskap’. Recently, it has been developed at the University of Saskatchewan by Dr. Bob Bors for commercial production.
Gurney's
Nurseries: Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
I like to order from Gurney's paper catalog that comes in the mail. There is a nice $25 coupon in the event that you decide to buy fifty dollars worth of plants. They will give you $25 off your order, which is an incredibly wonderful deal.
Burgess
Seed & Plant Co.: Burgess
You can order from Burgess online either from eBurgess or Direct Gardening. There is a catalog request if you prefer a hard copy
Kelly Nurseries
Kelly Nurseries
You can order from Kelly Nurseries online or request a catalog.
Henry Fields
Nursery: Henry Fields Seed & Nursery
You can order online at Henry Fields.
Gurney's
Gurney Offers a Pink Lemonade Blueberry
Here it is. A Blueberry that is not blue, but Pink.
Henry Fields
Henry Field Offers Honeyberries
You can order Honeyberry from Henry Field. That is where I got my first plants.