North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Peter Chrisbacher <pxbacher@gmail.com>]

Hi Mike -

See this link for a photo of a "choice" salmonberry, which grow all over
the west side of the Cascades near you.

http://washington.chrisbacherconsulting.com/SpectacleLake/SL_SalmonBerry.jpg

When I lived out your way, I was at first excited about the prospects of
such an abundance of delicious-looking fruit.  However, after sampling many
I settled on the nickname "Lousyberry" as a more appropriate description;
many of the wild ones are big and certainly juicy, but they have very
little flavor.

If you're anywhere near Redmond, I recall there being a ton of them growing
along the Sammamish River Trail just north of Redmond - it's a nice bike
ride and I'm sure you'd find more than you'll know what to do with if you
go for a bike ride or walk in-season.

Perhaps someone out there has bred some that are better, though I just
checked Raintree and their description sounds like a typical Lousyberry to
me.

Good luck, and sorry I can't help with locating an improved variety!

-Pete


Pete Chrisbacher
Kennett Square, PA