Salmonberries are a delicious early summer berry that grow natively along the Pacific Northwest coast. Known for their orange-pink hue and tart fruity flavor these berries have a short season from April to June. This leads many people to wonder – where can I buy salmonberries if I don’t live near where they grow wild?
If you put in a little work, you can find fresh or canned salmonberries even in places where they aren’t native. Here are tips for finding these special berries.
Foraging for Salmonberries
If you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, spotted touch of bright orange while out hiking likely means you’ve stumbled upon wild salmonberries ready for picking. These berries grow abundantly along the coasts of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and down to Northern California.
Prime salmonberry picking season is April to early June. Look for them growing along streams, bogs, coastal rainforests, and anywhere else they can get plenty of moisture Salmonberry bushes produce bright green leaves and pretty pink flowers preceding the fruit
When foraging, be 100% sure of your identification before eating any wild berries. Salmonberries are easily confused with trailing blackberries, which can lead to accidental poisoning. Once you know for sure they are salmonberries, carefully pick ripe, full-colored berries right off the bush. Leave unripe green ones behind to allow the local wildlife to eat.
Purchasing Fresh Salmonberries
If foraging isn’t an option, some limited sources exist for buying fresh salmonberries when in season:
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Farmers Markets: Ask around at your local farmers market during April through June. Vendors may bring in wild-foraged or farm-grown salmonberries.
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Specialty Produce Markets: High-end grocers like Whole Foods sometimes carry foraged berries when available. Check the refrigerated produce section.
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Local Foragers: Search for reputable local foragers who sell wild edibles. They may offer salmonberries for a very limited time.
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U-Pick Farms: A small number of u-pick berry farms cultivate salmonberries in the Pacific Northwest. Visit in late spring to early summer to pick your own.
The downside to fresh salmonberries is their quick perishability. Enjoy within a day or two or freeze right away to preserve the harvest.
Finding Salmonberry Jam and Preserves
For most folks outside the Northwest, the best way to buy salmonberries is in jam or preserved form. Several specialty producers offer these products:
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Alaska Wildberry Products: This Alaskan company offers classic salmonberry jam made from wild berries. Find online or in select gourmet retailers.
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Taku River Reds: This Juneau, Alaska producer makes award winning salmonberry jams and sauces from wild, handpicked berries. Buy online.
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Wild Roots: Based in Oregon, Wild Roots sells marionberry and salmonberry jam, made with Oregon wild salmonberries. Purchase online.
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Aunt Mabel’s: Look for their Pacific Northwest jam assortments, featuring limited-release salmonberry jam. Available seasonally online and in stores.
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Orca Bay: This Pacific Northwest brand makes salmonberry preserves and jam when wild berries are available. Check their online store or retailers like Whole Foods.
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Pacific Coast: Their wild blackberry with salmonberry spread highlights the salmonberry’s tart kick. Buy it online or in many grocery stores.
Always look for jams that contain a high percentage of actual salmonberries versus just added sugar. The berries’ brilliant color will stand out in quality products.
Trying Salmonberry Liqueurs and Syrups
Beyond jams, a few unique products capture the essence of salmonberries in drinkable form:
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Barnaby’s Salmonberry Liqueur: This Portland distillery makes a salmonberry liqueur with a bourbon base and wild Oregon berries. Purchase their bottles online.
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Salmonberry Originals: Also based in Portland, this company crafts salmonberry syrup using wild berries. Enjoy in cocktails or desserts. Available online.
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Sitka Salmonberries: This Alaska outfit forages salmonberries to make syrup enjoyed locally in their community. Ask if they have any available to ship.
These drinkable berry products add salmonberry’s signature tangy sweetness to homemade cocktails, syrups, baking, and more.
Where to Buy Dried Salmonberries
Dried salmonberries offer a shelf-stable way to enjoy the berries anytime. Look for foragers selling dried salmonberries either through local markets, online stores like Etsy, or sites like eBay and Amazon. Just be sure to buy from established sellers with product reviews. Quality dried salmonberries will be soft, plump, and bursting with natural sweet-tart flavor.
With a bit of effort, it’s possible to purchase salmonberries in or out of their growing region. The search is worth it to enjoy the short spring season of these amazing berries. Their sweet-tart pop of flavor adds beautifully to both savory and sweet recipes. Salmonberry season comes and goes quickly, so get your hands on them while you can!
Salmonberries Near MeBuy your favorite Salmonberries online with Instacart. Order Salmonberries from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
- Turning on notifications for the Instacart app
- Keep an eye out for calls and texts from your Instacart shopper.”
- Giving people helpful directions on how to park, gate codes, or other ways to find your house
- Delivery fees start at $3. 99 for same-day orders over $35. There are different prices for deliveries within an hour, to club stores, and for deliveries under $35.
- Service fees depend on where you are and the number and types of items in your cart, among other things. Orders containing alcohol have a separate service fee.
- Tipping is optional but encouraged for delivery orders. You can show your customer how much you appreciate and thank them for great service. There is 10% of your tip that goes directly to the person who delivers your order.
With an optional Instacart+ membership, you can get $0 delivery fee on every order over $35 and lower service fees too. Instacart pickup cost:
- There may be a “pickup fee” of $1 for your order, which is the same as a delivery fee for pick-up orders. 99 for non-Instacart+ members. Instacart+ membership waives this like it would a delivery fee.
- No matter if you are a member of Instacart or not, there are no service fees for pick-up orders.
- Find Best Match: If nothing else is chosen, your shopper will use their best judgment to choose a replacement for your item.
- Pick Specific Replacement: If your first choice is sold out, you can choose a specific alternative for the customer to buy.
- Choose “Dont Replace” for items you don’t want to replace. If the item is out of stock, you’ll get your money back.
- Missing items
- Incorrect items
- Damaged items
- Poor replacements
- Early/late orders
If an order never came, or you get someone else’s order, you can reach out to Instacart Customer Experience. Yes! You can get Salmonberries products delivered same-day in as fast as one hour from stores near you using the Instacart app or website.
What are Salmonberries? | Fruits You Probably Never Heard Of | Ep. 2
FAQ
Where can I find salmonberries?
What is another name for salmonberries?
How much do salmonberries sell for?
Can humans eat salmon berries?
Where do salmonberries grow?
Salmonberry is often found growing with other native edibles like Elderberry, Fiddlehead Fern, and Evergreen Huckleberry. On the PNW coast they sometimes grow in large thickets under Red Alder. Northwest Native American tribes today still value this special plant as food, medicine, and family.
What are salmonberries?
This section will succinctly describe what salmonberries are and outline where they can be typically found. Salmonberries, Rubus spectabilis, are part of the Rubus family, which also includes raspberries and blackberries. They are characterized by: The berries are not only visually appealing but also edible and are a food source for local wildlife.
Are salmonberries a rose?
Known as Rubus spectabilis, salmonberries are actually a species of rose. The fruits are native to the west coast of North America, growing from west-central Alaska to California and can be found inland as far as Idaho. Unlike raspberries, though, salmonberries range in color from yellow to orange and red.
Are salmonberries ripe?
Salmonberries at full ripeness! Some salmonberries might even be purple or bright red in color. The salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), along with other fruits that share a family with it, including blackberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, loganberries, boysenberries, etc., belongs to the rose genus.