Salmonberry Season

Day 268: I do not know if Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis) occur in other parts of the country, but they are a familiar sight here in the Pacific Northwest. There are two species, differentiated by the colors of the berries they bear. To my tastebuds, the orange variety is more flavorful than the red. Other people will disagree with that assessment, and some will tell you the taste of both is "insipid" and not worth the bother of picking them. More for those of us who appreciate them!

The fruit is somewhat watery, however, and the taste is by no means as full-bodied as that of Evergreen or Himalayan Blackberries. You would not want to make a pie from them, but using powdered lemon Jell-o as a binder, they make a delicious cobbler. Simply sprinkle the Jell-o over the top of a layer of berries and spoon dollops of Bisquick onto the surface. Bake until the biscuit dough is nicely browned, remove from the oven and then allow a few hours for the Jell-o to congeal. A skilled camp cook can effect the same results using a tinfoil reflector beside the campfire.

Native peoples mixed these berries with the grease obtained from oolichan (candlefish) to make pemmican, a durable staple. Young sprouts of the plant were also boiled and eaten as a vegetable.

Your narrator happens to love Salmonberries and was somewhat delayed in arriving back at the car from a nine-mile hike when the trail passed through a grove of them. I picked only enough to nibble on my journey, since they do not transport well in any great quantity. Nor would I have wanted to deprive the Robins, who love them as much as I.