Haskap variety 8 of 11
Boreal Beast
Get to know this variety and where it fits in the usual ripening order at Camerise St-Gabriel.
Usual ripening order at our orchard: 8 of 11
Five quick facts
- Usual period
- Late season
- Flavour
- Rather sweet, with a distinctive aroma
- Texture
- Good-sized berry
- Best use
- Fresh eating; also useful frozen
- Picking
- Compare the aroma when berries are fully ripe
The breeder particularly valued its aroma and flavour, both fresh and frozen.
In Saskatoon observations, it ripened after Aurora and Boreal Blizzard but before Boreal Beauty; our local order agrees on those three positions.
If a tasting is offered during its harvest, compare its aroma with that of other ripe varieties.
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.
- Beast ripens later than Aurora in our usual sequence and is also one of the most appreciated varieties at the orchard.
- We find it especially appealing fresh: its perceived sweetness is high and its distinctive aroma leaves a lasting impression.
Published descriptions and background
Origin and identity
Boreal Beast belongs to the University of Saskatchewan’s Boreal series. Its name recalls “Beauty and the Beast”: it was also selected for bloom timing compatible with Boreal Beauty.
Taste and texture
Breeding notes highlight a remarkable aroma and pleasant aftertaste, both fresh and frozen. Its aromatic character says more to a visitor than a single sugar reading.
Fruit and picking
Saskatchewan trials describe fairly large, firm berries. Here, Beast follows Blizzard and precedes Beauty. Published firmness is not a measurement of the orchard’s current harvest.
Fresh or prepared
It is one of the few varieties whose breeder explicitly praises its flavour after freezing. For fresh or frozen berries, cooling soon after picking remains good practice, especially in hot weather.
What we will continue to observe here
To document at our orchard: aroma as visitors perceive it, performance on hot days, and flavour after freezing and thawing.
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.