Scientific minds meet green thumbs!

Saskatoon biotech company, Prairie Plant Systems, is using lab technologies and plant cloning to produce thousands of haskap, sour cherry and Saskatoon berry bushes -- varieties developed at the University of Saskatchewan fruit breeding program. Each plant starts as a tiny cutting set into an agar substrate -- no soil required!

"This medium contains all the nutrients that the plants need to grow without having a root system." -- CEO Brent Zettl

The little seedlings are then planted in soil and placed in the warm mist tent, where they grow roots and a thicker skin.

Finally they're moved into the greenhouse. In 3-4 months, the seedlings will be ready for planting outdoors. You can buy them at local nurseries in and around Saskatoon.

Read more about Prairie Plant Systems and haskap berries in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.

Quick, eat those Haskap!

Haskap berries are quickly ripening, so don't let them go to the birds. (Yes, the birds love them.) Also known as blue honeysuckle, haskap is the Japanese name for an old and healthy berry that grows in northern climates. In Saskatchewan, varieties such as Borealis and Tundra were developed by plant scientists at the U of S in Saskatoon.

Haskap are juicy with a sweet berry flavour and can be used in just about any recipe that calls for blueberries or saskatoon berries. They're available at U-Pick orchards, but as yet, there is no directory to make that easy for home cooks and consumers. :(

You can read more about Saskatchewan haskap in my food column in today's Star Phoenix.

Haskap Cheesecake Pie
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 package cream cheese (250 g)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, separated
2 cups haskap berries (fresh or thawed)

Crush the chocolate wafers to a powder. Mix with melted butter. Press into bottom of pie plate. Whip together the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, 3 egg yolks and 1 cup of haskap berries. Blend well. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until fluffy but not stiff. Fold egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour mixture over cookie crumb base. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of berries. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. The centre of the pie will not be completely set, but will jiggle slightly. It will set as it cools. When cool, cover and refrigerate several hours. I like to serve it with a dollop of sour cream flavoured with a pinch of lime zest.