Haskap variety 9 of 11
Boreal Beauty
Get to know this variety and where it fits in the usual ripening order at Camerise St-Gabriel.
Usual ripening order at our orchard: 9 of 11
Five quick facts
- Usual period
- Late season
- Flavour
- Sweet-tart
- Texture
- Very large, firm berry
- Best use
- Freezing
- Picking
- Detaches very easily; watch wind and fruit drop
Firm berries, generally oval and sometimes heart-shaped.
The breeder describes it as late in Saskatchewan. At our orchard, it follows Boreal Beast and precedes Keiko in the observed order.
Notice the berry shape, then check the picking status: a formed or coloured berry is not necessarily ready.
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.
- At the orchard, we also simply call it “Beauty.” It ripens after Beast and produces very large, often heart-shaped berries whose size can approach Blizzard depending on the season.
- It is productive in our rows. Its firm berries hold up relatively well to handling and are particularly well suited to freezing.
- When fully ripe, the berries detach very easily; a branch can sometimes be gently shaken over a container. This ease also means ripe fruit may fall to the ground, especially in strong wind.
Published descriptions and background
Origin and identity
Boreal Beauty was selected by the University of Saskatchewan to extend the harvest season. In Saskatoon trials it ripened well after several earlier cultivars; dates at Saint-Gabriel may differ.
Taste and texture
The breeder highlights good flavour and thick, firm flesh. We do not rank it among the “sweetest” without comparative tasting of our own fruit.
Fruit and picking
Its berries are mostly oval; some develop a tip that resembles a heart. Not every fruit has the same shape. Published trials mention good attachment to branches, while fully ripe berries detach very easily in our rows.
Fresh or prepared
Its size and shape can make it interesting to try fresh. If visiting later in the season, always check the picking status: “late” does not mean available on a fixed date.
What we will continue to observe here
To document at our orchard: the share of heart-shaped berries, their actual size, and how quickly they soften after ripening.
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.