Blackberries here! Blackberries there! Blackberries everywhere! Blackberries grow wild in Oregon along with raspberries, salmonberries and huckleberries.

Oregon’s mild, wet climate is friendly to berry growing and blueberries and cranberries are big crops here. Blackberries and raspberries are also grown as crops. The blackberries are the largest in size and can be sweet and juicy. The wild berries have been harvested by the Pacific Northwest Native Americans for hundreds of years.

There are several different kinds of blackberries and the Marionberry is a cross between two of them. Marionberries were developed here in Oregon and make delicious jams and pies as do all the berries.

Here at Umpqua River Haven we are fringed by wild blackberries. They can sometimes over-grow and get out of hand but we manage to keep them pruned. Pruning also aids the production of fruit as it goes. It is a treat to be able to walk out in the yard and pick fresh blackberries to add to breakfast or for a treat any time. And then there is pie…..

Oregon celebrates the annual Blackberry Harvest August 27 – 28 at the 2016 Blackberry Arts Festival in downtown Coos Bay. This event features local artist’s jewelry, crafts, photography and more and area vendors. The Blackberry Jam will again be presented by K-DOCK 92.9. The jam features local musicians and the Bay Area Teen Idol vocal competition.

If you are this way at the end of August, you can bunk your RV with us at www.umpquahaven.com for a quiet place to stay while you take in the Blackberry Festival at Coos Bay, which is a short, 45 minute drive away. We just might let you pick your own blackberries, too.