Pacific Northwest 101

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Quote:
Most locals won't pick them because the thorns are so vicious, and the blood loss makes you weak.

Nothing like walking down a sidewalk and have a blackberry cane rip holes in your clothes.
They are pretty right now with the lavendar blossom opening. And yes they are everywhere and inpenetrable.

Thimble berries are a relative to Raspberries:
northwest native
tangy soft fruit
no thorns
bigger leaves
pretty dogwood type 1 1/2 inch flowers in spring
will grow in part shade

Imp

I love thimble berries, I thought everyone had them. I remember taking some oregon grape jelly to a friend on the coast and noticed they didnt have oregon grapes on the coast. Over here we dont have crazy wild blackberries.

I love Washington but dont at the same time because when people think of WA they think the Wet side and Seattle. When I tell them we had over 4' of snow and near -30 temps last year they think I am kidding them.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Oh yeah, the snow in Spokane last winter was biblical.

Himalayan Blackberries are considered a noxious weed here. They are heinous and vicious. They grow ANYWHERE. Last year I spend 1 full day cutting down the blackberries that had grown between my garage and my neighbor's, making the 4' passage impassable. They were awful. I wanted to get rid of them before they fruited, too.

I do have to say that the fruit is delicious. Last year I picked lots of berries along the Puyallup River on river road. Then I came back and made pectin-free jam. I want to say, for the record, that squeezing lemons after going blackberry picking is uber painful.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

A question for people on the coast. Are there huckleberries there? We have tons of huckle berries here, they sell for over $40 a gallon and taste almost like blueberries but not.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Nope, we're just getting strawberries. I think I saw that my neighbor's cherry tree is starting to ripen. Other things won't be ready for a while.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i miss the blackberries! i cant believe how expense they are here! and they just grow in gobs along the roadside there!!!!

but then.. i'm laughing at your $1/ear of corn....hee hee hee

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

If you want severe culture shock, live in Washington for 40 years and then move to Central Florida in the middle of horse country.......

 

[nivtup]

I would think after living in WA for 40+ years, moving most anywhere would be a culture shock type event.

My shockiest was going to the French Quarter, LOL that was culture shock.

Blackberries in three flavors on our property, a constant battle to stay ahead of them.

Huckleberries, 2 varieties, red and blue. Both make fine preserves.

Both neighbors have goats, I have not rented them yet

I hit a 4-way stop twice a day in my 14 mile 20 minute commute, most days it goes well. When it breaks down, well let's just say it takes a while to get everyone back in sync.

My all time favorite northwest behavior is vehicle abandonment during snow events. If you have not seen it, it will boggle your mind. Two years ago after approximately 3 or 4 inches of snowfall I was lucky enough to have a meeting in the Kent Valley. There were literally hundreds of vehicles abandoned on I-5, cars, trucks, SUV's, you name it. All parked in a row, on a flat straight stretch of highway. What were they thinking?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

We get huckleberries here in Michigan, too. They grow in the woods up north. They make the most fabulous pancakes.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

My all time favorite northwest behavior is vehicle abandonment during snow events. If you have not seen it, it will boggle your mind.

i was completely boogled! i worked in downtown seattle and the first winter i was there we couldnt understand why everyone ran for their cars when the first snowflake fell... we left at our normal time and had to dodge and weave around cars abandoned on the upside of the hill on the west seattle bridge!!! what are they thinking?

oh well.....​

 

[Imp]

Quote:
i was completely boogled! i worked in downtown seattle and the first winter i was there we couldnt understand why everyone ran for their cars when the first snowflake fell... we left at our normal time and had to dodge and weave around cars abandoned on the upside of the hill on the west seattle bridge!!! what are they thinking?

oh well.....

Sounds like first snowflake freakout lady. Lol!

I have been known to use my hospital ID to get through police roadblocks, during snow events.

Imps have no shame



"A question for people on the coast. Are there huckleberries there? We have tons of huckle berries here, they sell for over $40 a gallon and taste almost like blueberries but not."
I grew up with red huckleberries. I just had to buy a huckleberry plant, I can't seem to find them wild here. I don't care as much for the blue huckleberries. Kinda like a sour blueberry.


And flying...
When I first moved to Wa. I argued with a friend about the veracity of there being a desert in Wa. Then she took me to her hometown- Pasco.