BERRY DAZE

   Local berry season continues! It's time for raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and all kinds of those raspberry-blackberry crosses that are so delicious. If you've ever wondered the difference between some of the most popular variety berries, here's the deal:

Marionberry

   Marionberries are the quintessential Oregon berry, developed at OSU from two NW native blackberries. If your sense of humor is a little skewed, you may enjoy watching the Portlandia episode where Peter and Nance go out to brunch with the mayor for Marionberry pancakes. Marionberries are sweet and almost pie-like simply on their own.

Blackberry

 Rafael,  our blackberry farmer, grows three varieties of blackberry:  Black Diamond, Kotada and Obsidian. I may have done extensive taste-testing on them one day in the cooler when it was very hot outside. They were all delicious and each one was unique.

Boysenberry

Boysenberries are named after Rudy Boysen who grew them in California. They became popular after Walter Knott made them the signature berry of his berry farm in the 1920s when it was still actually a berry farm and not an amusement park. Boysenberries are a blackberry-raspberry cross. Boysenberries have a sweet/tart flavor which I love.

Raspberry

 DON'T WAIT if you want to get local raspberries! As of today, 7-22, we noted that the physical size of the berries is trending smaller, which is usually an indication that the end of the season is near. The berries pictured above are the Tulameen variety, developed in B.C., and rapidly becoming the premier commercial berry of the NW, and with good reason:  delicious!

   Loganberries and Tayberries (not in stock today) are also blackberry-raspberry crosses. The Tay originated in Scotland in 1979 and the Logan came about in the 1880s in California, developed by attorney/amateur botanist James Logan.

FRUITFULLY YOURS,

Karin