A farm on the outskirts of Edmonton is looking to make a name for itself in the berry game. Rosy Farms is home to the haskap berry, also known as honeyberries, a superfruit with a taste reminiscent of a blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant combined. Andrew Rosychuk was the first to grow them in Alberta, beginning in 2005 and since expanding to offer six varieties. His farm remains one of the province’s largest. Each variety comes with its own unique flavour – and Rosychuk says he’s noticing popularity rise as a ‘superfood’ alternative to other berries. “They’re three times the antioxidants and five times the anti-inflammatories as a blueberry. Plus, they’re way more Vitamin C,” he said. The berries are native to cold climates like Alberta’s, which allows the bushes they’re grown on to thrive in almost any conditions. “They’re very hardy, so they can take Zone 2, which is like -45 C over the winter, which is very, very rare,” Rosychuk explained. The U-Pick option at Rosy Farms has doubled every year since it started and now expects between 5,000 and 8,000 visitors looking to pluck the perfect pound of fruit until the end of July. Rosychuk hopes more farms look into growing haskaps in the prairies. “It’s really cool that we have the ability to bring intensive horticulture into a province that hasn’t seen it before.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
