North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dean Kreutzer" <deankreutzer@hotmail.com>]

Hello all,

I have been able to try some of the latest edible honeysuckles (Honeyberry 
is a term coined by One Green World) from Russia.  I managed to cross 
pollinate a few in the very cool spring this year and tried the fruit.  The 
shape varies with the cultivar, but generally resemble a long cylinder 1" 
long x 1/4" wide.  It has the bloom like a blueberry, and some cutlivars 
have the taste and texture as well.  A couple cultivars were not that good, 
in my opinion, but some were very good.  I am definately going to be growing 
some cultivars in the future.

A couple important factors is that the flowers can easily take 20F while in 
full bloom, without damage and the fruit ripens a couple of weeks earlier 
than strawberries; which is June, up here.  They do have seeds, but are very 
small.

One other note is that there are at least 2 species, one grown in Siberia, 
and one in Japan.  I grow the species from Siberia, which is more hardy and 
has smaller fruit.  These should be quite adapted to my climate up here, but 
only time will tell.

Dean Kreutzer
www.overthehillorchards.ca
Regina, Saskatchewan Canada
USDA zone 3
-36F two nights ago