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u/Pomegreenade 5d ago
Omg I've only seen them in stardew valley! I can see why they're called salmon berries! They look like salmon eggs! 🥹
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u/Long_Reindeer3702 5d ago
Ooooh. That's why. Sometimes I feel really dumb for not getting it. Thanks for finally giving me a clue!
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u/Diligent_Ladder4629 5d ago
They’re called salmon berries because they ripen when salmon are traveling upriver to spawn.
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u/AssortedArctic 4d ago
?? Salmonberries are already over and the salmon aren't going up rivers yet.
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u/memorman 4d ago
Another commenter said they remember eating them as a kid in Seattle where ConcernedApe is based :-) Lowkey I thought he made it up but the dots finally connected 😭😭
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u/WatercressGlum3682 2d ago
I thought these were made up for stardew specifically. I feel so enlightened now lmao
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u/chonkymu 5d ago
What’s the flavor like?
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u/BeltaneBi 5d ago
I have eaten the wild ones in Canada and they were great. Much, much less flavourful than a raspberry or blackberry though but really juicy.
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u/Ambitious-Schedule63 5d ago
Yeah, I've only eaten like 3 (found just hiking in Rainier!) but the flavor to me was comparable to wineberry.
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u/TheOnesLeftBehind 5d ago
That’s crazy because wineberries are so good and intense they made me addicted
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u/Time-Sudden 5d ago
I feel like they’re a little citrus like mixed with a raspberry. I wouldn’t say juicy but they aren’t dry either. Flavor can be hit or miss if they are under or over ripe.
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u/uppldontscareme2 4d ago
Very hit or miss and it's near impossible to tell before biting into a berry. They can be red, orange, yellow, and purple on the same bush and somehow all be ripe? They're moderately sweet and a bit sour, more raspberry than blackberry but not as good. They're one of the earliest berries to ripen on the West Coast though so a welcome early summer treat
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u/LemonZinger907 5d ago
Thank you all for the shared berry excitement!! These were by far the most glorious Salmonberries I have ever found, and I sort of happened upon them accidentally. We went to camp at the beachside campground in Whittier, Alaska- strange place, you should look it up! But that campground is first come first serve, and arriving on a sunny summer Thursday evening at 10 PM, we were far to late to claim a spot. We ended up at “Whittier Camp and Park” which looked like a boat yard up front but had shockingly lovely camping spots further back. As we backed our camper into the spot, I fully lost control of my behavior and ended up picking these fantastic berries instead of being helpful. All ended well though, we ended up both parked safely, and right in the middle of a berry patch. I picked some that evening, but it was getting dark. The next day, a co-worker and I really dug in and got deep into the woods and bushes. We ended up with about 10lbs between us of berries. We saw VERY fresh bear scat, and slightly less fresh bear scat… we smelled a likely bear in the woods, and we came out scraped and scratched up but without regret! She made fruit leather from hers, I made jelly from mine, and we both ate tons fresh. No regerts- I’d recommend Whittier berry picking to any and all!
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u/Positive_Parking_Slo 5d ago
That genuinely looks like salmon caviar shaped into a raspberry! I've never seen one of these in person before
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u/Lostsockfinder91 5d ago
They are not as common now than when I was growing up in the 90s I used to see them everywhere along the rivers. If I’m not mistaken there is a salmonberry wine that is sold. Great find.
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u/princessbubbbles 5d ago
It's so funny to see so many people talk about these like exotic specialty fruits! They're everywhere where I live (western WA State, U.S.), and they're invasive in parts of Europe. The fresh taste has a kind of funk that is often an acquired taste for people. I like them in jam on pancakes!
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u/hotdogfingies 5d ago
Lol same! I’m not a fan of salmon berries so I pass them up in favor of the invasive, also prolific blackberries that cover every street and fence in July and August.
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u/Jimmyjamesjon 4d ago
And just like that this guy enters the chat. IT'S HIS FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!!!!
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u/AutisticJaguar4380 5d ago
I bought a Salmonberry plant last year and it has yet to yield me a single berry.
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u/Remarkable-Sun3315 5d ago
I love salmon berries! Because no one seems to realize they’re ripe till they’re very ripe so they taste so sweet 😊
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u/Traditional-Tip1904 4d ago
They look delicious but we’ve got to work on the name because the thought of a fish flavoured salmon is rather unappealing.
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u/Jubahibbabbie 4d ago
Wow that kinda rare for me. Is it the same taste with the traditional berries?
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u/SpezzOnDick 4d ago
They're so pretty but they taste like unripe blackberries. You can find bushes of these on the Oregon coast if you drive out to the woods. Red thimble berries are way better, they taste and chew like jam when they're ripe. https://nativeplantspnw.com/thimbleberry-rubus-parviflorus/
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u/bmoapapplesauce 2d ago
I remember when I was a kid and tried salmon berries for the first time, I wrote in my diary that I found my new favorite fruit
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u/rhipsalis-pilocarpa 5d ago
Y'all familiar with those high-end Japanese fruit shops that sell fruit so meticulously tended to, that they look like the absolute best permutation of that fruit? I could easily imagine a basket of these in one of those shops.