Raspberries, blueberries, oh my!

The raspberry and blueberry season is upon us! 

The price for u-pick is $2.00 a pound and

 ready picked fruit is $3.10 a pound.

You may place an order for ready picked fruit by leaving a message that includes your name, phone number, type of berry and amount at

503.621.3909 

We will be picking these berries for the next 3 weeks

 And our marion and boysen berries are starting to turn red, so they are close behind. We hope to start picking them around July 1-4.

 And the best picking for these black berries is the first 7-10 days of picking.

Don't be late and miss out!

And sadly, the strawberries are finished for the summer.

They will be back next June.

But how can you tell a marionberry from a blackberry?

left to right: blackberries, marionberries, boysenberries

Sometime, even I confuse these berries.

But, with a little observation, the differences will stand out.

blackberries

Our blackberries look very much like a marionberry.

The flavor is very close to a marionberry.

They lack the 'ZING' flavor of a marionberry. 

And a blackberry is not as fragrant as a marionberry.

boysenberry

Notice the purple/ red under tones on the boysenberry?

And the flavor is a more tart/ less sweet taste.

marionberry

This is a marionberry.

Darker, smaller seed cell, sweet smelling and sweet tasting.

And they only grow in Willamette Valley!

Some farm stands pass off their blackberries as marionberries.

(Easy to fool the customer.)

 Our marionberries are certified by the state of Oregon to be authentic marionberries.

And all of these berries are ready to be picked.

The price is $1.95 a pound for you pick

or $3.00 for ready picked fruit.

This weekend is a good time to come out to Sauvie Island, pick a few berries and head on over to the Blue Heron Herbary for the Lavender Festival.

Need some ideas for all those berries you are going to pick?

How about this BBQ sauce.

Or how about a simple dessert recipe for berries and cream.

Or how about these mufffins. Simply substitute marionberries for the blueberries.

I hope your week is wonderful!

Diane

Marionberry Barbecue Sauce

This coming Sunday, July 25, will be our last day for summer berries. We will be closed until our fall raspberries and blueberries are ready for picking; usually early September. In the meantime, let's play with our food!
I am frequently on the look-out for new recipes using Oregon's original berry, the marionberry. I came across an excellent recipe in Sunset magazine and then I tweaked it to fit our family's palate. This sauce is good on chicken, pork and turkey. Give it a try. (I love the color of marionberries after they are blended.)

Marionberry Barbecue Sauce

1 1/2 cups marionberries
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tea. ground ginger
1/2 tea. ground black pepper
1 tea. Tabasco Sauce
1 tab. Frank's Redhot Original Sauce

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Marion and boysenberries are starting soon!

We will open up our marionberry and boysenberry fields for picking on Saturday, July 10th. The price will be $1.75 a pound for you-pick and $2.75 a pound for ready-picked fruit. The best picking for these berries is the first 7 to 10 days; the size and quality will decrease as the season goes on. And our marionberries are certified by the State of Oregon as official marionberries. Don't be fooled by other farms who advertise 'marionberries' but really sell blackberries.

I love marionberries for their sweet taste and ease of picking. But my favorite berry is the boysenberry. Have you ever had a boysenberry pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream? That is summer to me.

Diane