Summer 2022
Strawberries
The gentle, fleeting sweetness of summer in Pacific Northwest strawberries » More ...
Berries
Summer 2022
Strawberry recipes
Put sweet and succulent Pacific Northwest strawberries—especially Washington State University-developed varieties—on your table this summer.
Here are some ways to use them from Jamie Callison, executive chef at WSU’s School of Hospitality Business Management at Carson College of Business, and Linda Burner Augustine (’83 Home Econ., Honors), author of the A Year at the Table food blog. Both also authored 2013’s The Crimson Spoon cookbook from WSU Press.
Strawberry Shortcakes
From Jamie Callison
For the … » More …
Summer 2010
Gallery: Strawberries
Winter 2021
Cranberries
A tangy taste at the holiday table » More ...
Winter 2021
Cranberry recipes
Cranberries complement more than turkey. But this time of year, it’s easy to forget that fact.
In this recipe from Linda Burner Augustine (’83 Home Econ., Honors), cranberry sauce tops roasted pork loin infused with flavorful fennel, rosemary, and orange. The dish originally appeared on her A Year at the Table blog in December 2012.
Of course, you could always make the sauce for your Thanksgiving turkey, too.
Read more about cranberries.
Fennel Rosemary Orange Roasted Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce
From Linda Burner Augustine
Fresh rosemary, fennel seeds, and orange zest form a savory herb rub for this pork loin roast, and slivers of garlic randomly poked into the … » More …
Summer 2021
Wild berries
Wild berries abound in Washington state in summer and fall, in a rainbow of colors and variety of textures and flavors. » More ...
Summer 2021
Wild berries at Greenbank Farm
Nancy Hindes often finds wild creeping raspberries while walking along the road in front of her home south of Coupeville on Washington’s Whidbey Island.
“It grows along the ground. It’s not a very dominant plant, but I think it really likes gravelly soil, and that’s why it grows right next to the road,” she says, cautioning those unfamiliar with the wild plant to take care. “It will trip you.”
In summer, she keeps an eye out for its bright red fruit. “It’s one of the best raspberries I’ve ever eaten. It’s very sweet and very flavorful. When I see it, I’ll stop and have a … » More …
Summer 2021
More wild berries
Numerous wild berries can be found in summer and fall around Washington state. Here are more varieties to look for.
Read about wild berries in the Pacific Northwest.
Black chokeberries (Aronia melanocarpa)—A great natural source of pectin, these tart, dark berries are perfect for processing into jam and jelly.
Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)—These tart reddish purple berries—best in jam, jelly, sauce, and vinegar—are prevalent west of the Cascade Range in damp clearings and thicket margins.
Black huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum)—These are among the tastiest and most popular berries in the Pacific Northwest.
Blackcap raspberries (Rubus leucodermis)—Unlike blackberries, these berries have a hollow middle, like … » More …
Summer 2021
The secret life of huckleberries
Matt Carroll studies people’s connections to land, particularly fire risk and human communities throughout the West. But he’s also researched an important Washington state staple: the wild huckleberry.
He’s a professor and associate director of graduate programs in the School of the Environment at Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. While most of his work centers around wildfires, he has also examined the social ecology of the huckleberry in and around the Colville and Panhandle National Forests in northeast Washington and northern Idaho.
“Huckleberries have a very deep history in our region,” Carroll says. “Indigenous people … » More …
Summer 2021
Bullying blackberries
The blackberries are not what they seem.
They seem native, growing wild wherever they want, thriving along riverbanks, roads, railroad tracks, and trails; inside state, county, even Seattle city parks.
These abundant berries—great for pie and jam—are synonymous with summer in Washington state, particularly on the west side, where they take over greenbelts and backyards, abandoned lots, urban alleyways, and logged lands.
They grow, as it were, like weeds.
Emphasis on weeds.
Himalayan blackberries (Rubus armeniacus) are not only not native, they’re invasive. And they’re not actually Himalayan.
Call them the state weed of Washington. The plump, juicy, deep purple, and delicious weed of Washington.
… » More …