Very popular in many regions of the world, North American
gardeners are just learning about this valuable and attractive plant.
Sea Berry is native to both Central Asia, reaching as far
as Western China, and in Europe, in countries around the Baltic Sea.
Among Sea Berry's many attributes are exceptional
ornamental value, tasty and healthful fruit, cover and food for wildlife,
and ability to grow in and improve poor soils. As an ornamental, Sea
Berry is prized for its attractive, narrow, grayish-green foliage and its
fall display of large clusters of bright orange-yellow berries, which
cover the branches and can persist well into winter.
Extremely hardy and tough, Sea Berry is unique in its
ability to produce crops in the most inhospitable regions. The fruit is
very high in Vitamin C (about 7 times more than lemons), Vitamin A, and E,
and has a pleasant acidic flavor which, when sweetened, makes delicious
juice. During the Cold War, East Germany used Sea Berry as a healthful
substitute for orange juice, and Sea Berry juice is now very popular and
widely available throughout Germany. The fruit is also unique for its oil
content, which is used as a treatment for burns and skin diseases as well
as for ulcers and other illnesses.
[ Click here
to see when they are flowering on our farm. ]
