Haskap variety 5 of 11
Aurora
Get to know this variety and where it fits in the usual ripening order at Camerise St-Gabriel.
Usual ripening order at our orchard: 5 of 11
Five quick facts
- Usual period
- Mid-season
- Flavour
- Pleasant sweetness with relatively low acidity
- Texture
- Holds well on the shrub after ripening
- Best use
- Fresh eating and U-pick
- Picking
- Visible fruit; comfortable to pick while standing
Berries shaped somewhat like a pointed pear. The breeder highlights their relatively low acidity and pleasant flavour.
According to the breeder’s description, the berries are easy to see on the branches.
If you compare varieties through the season, Aurora is a chance to discover how acidity affects perceived sweetness.
GROWN AND OBSERVED HERE
What we observe at Camerise St-Gabriel
These practical notes come from our own plants, harvests and visitor experience. They can vary with ripeness, weather and the season.
- Aurora is one of the varieties most appreciated by our visitors. It is especially well suited to eating fresh.
- In our rows, it is productive. Once ripe, its berries can also remain on the plant for a fairly long time without dropping quickly, which helps with pick-your-own scheduling.
- Mature plants are generally at a comfortable height for picking while standing.
Published descriptions and background
Origin and identity
Aurora was selected by the University of Saskatchewan and released to propagators in 2012. The university chose it after years of breeding among thousands of seedlings.
Taste and texture
Its most interesting tasting trait is relatively low acidity. A berry can therefore seem particularly sweet without always having the highest sugar reading: the balance of sugar and acid matters.
Fruit and picking
The breeding description notes a pointed pear-like shape and berries that are easy to see and pick. These are helpful ways to recognize Aurora, provided our team has opened the rows for picking.
Fresh or prepared
Its published profile makes it interesting fresh if you prefer less pronounced tartness. Compare it with Indigo Gem or Larissa / Wojtek when several ripe varieties are offered.
What we will continue to observe here
To document at our orchard: sweetness as visitors perceive it, fruit size across years, and firmness after picking.
The ripening order comes from our orchard observations. Varieties may overlap, and weather changes timing, flavour and berry size. Published measurements come from other growing sites and do not indicate what can be picked today.
Sources and context
Published fruit descriptions come from the sources below; they are not measurements made at our orchard. The usual ripening position is our own observation.