What is a Haskap Berry?
What is a Haskap Berry
The haskap berry is a growing craze in thesuperfood community, and for good reason! This incredibly special berry isnative to northern climates, and is renowned for its incredible healthbenefits, as well as its deep purple colour and multitude of uses! What's evenbetter, there are a few incredible local producers in and around Lethbridgegrowing the berry and using high nutrient density to power their products!
So, what’s so amazing about the “gem of thenorth?” well quite a bit, from its high antioxidant content, to its ability tohelp increase blood circulation and reduce swelling. This berry has been hailedfor both its taste, and its ability to help support a healthy lifestyle.
The beautiful berry contains high levels ofVitamin A, Vitamin C, Fiber, and Potassium, all in a small blue package packinga blueberry mixed with black currant and raspberry punch. With such a highnutrient content in such a simple and small berry that is easily consumedfresh, there is boundless potential for not only its benefits, but for itsdelicious uses.
Haskap berries are normally foundthroughout the wet transitional areas of northern territories, with a largemajority of its recognition and products popular in Japan. Its name can betranslated from the language of the ainu people of ancient japan to mean, Berryof long life and good vision. It seems even people in ancient japan new aboutthe incredible That is, however, until we n the great north got wind of theincredible benefits of the haskap berry. Now we have multiple growers andproducers in Southern Alberta alone!
Prairie Hill Farms is one of the haskapproducers located just outside of Lethbridge, and this family un farm is nowharnessing haskaps to create super powders, to help fuel the lives of regularpeople and athletes alike. Not to mention as wide variety of syrups and sauces.Being one of the biggest producers in the region, you can also bet they areconstantly working to develop new ways to work this incredible super fruit intoother products so that everyone can enjoy the benefits, no matter their diet.
A “Little” haskap berry farm is the farmrun by the men of Little Gem Winery. At the little Gem farm, these fine berriesare harvested and then turned into incredible alcoholic beverages. From thewide selection of winds, to the haskap cider, these incredible berries aredoing grapes work in a land where grapes would never grow. The best part: thewine and cider are just as good, if not better, then their non haskapcounterparts.
That’s just a small overview on what thisincredible berry is, and what our region is doing ot innovate its uses! If youwant to learn more about the berry and get a more hands on experience, why nottry heading out on Canada’s Food Tour? This easy self-drive-tour will help youlearn about and experience the magic of local produced Southern Alberta food,just like the haskap berry!
Don’t forget to share all your incrediblehaskap pictures and favourite local haskap product finds with us on socialmedia using #ExploreLethbridge!