Today, I am celebrating the 3rd year of my blog! My goals for this year are to blog on a more frequent basis as I have let other endeavors get in my way to personal growth and success.
This year, I have discovered a lot about myself and a newfound love for being in the woods and learning about the edible qualities of many plants. I’ve also learned a new term – Wildcrafting – which is defined as gathering herbs, plants, fungi from the wild just as our ancestors once did.
One of my newest loves are Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis). This relative to the raspberry grows in abundance in the forest of the Pacific Northwest and was very important to the indigenous peoples of this land. These orange berries were typically consumed with salmon or mixed with its roe, hence where the name is derived.
How-To Identify Salmonberry
Salmonberries have a gorgeous, deep pink flower on plants that range anywhere from one to several feet. Berries transition from salmon color to deep ruby red as they mature and ripen. In the PNW, the picking season is early May to late June. The berries are a bit tart, but can be made into delicious jams, candy, jelly and wine. Being the foodie that I am, I had to take it up another notch and use them in Balsamic Roasted Strawberry, Rhubarb and Salmonberry Sorbet.
Making Sorbet
Balsamic Roasted Strawberry, Rhubarb & Salmoberry Sorbet
A cool, refreshing, Wildcraft-inspired sorbet recipe perfect for a hot summer day
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs strawberries – stems removed, halved or quartered
- 1/2 lb of salmonberry berries
- 1/2 lb of rhubarb
- 1/4 cup of honey (or white sugar)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- Optional: Fresh mint to top
Directions
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Place strawberries, rhubarb and salmonberries on a sheet tray. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, honey and season with black pepper. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a blender (Vitamix is preferred) and puree until smooth. Taste mixture to see if it suits you – add more honey, vanilla or black pepper where necessary.
- Run through sieve to remove all seeds then run through blender again. Chill in refrigerator.
- Once chilled transfer mixture to ice cream maker and follow manufacturers direction.
- Serve topped with mint and enjoy!
P.S. I ♥ Peas 