Salmonberry Syrup

On our mountain climbing adventures, we sometimes forage some local berries that are native to the Northwest called salmonberries. The last time we forage the salmonberries, I turned them into a sweet syrup that would be delicious on pancakes! Any berry could be substituted although you may need to adjust the sweetness depending on the berry. The salmonberries are mostly tart with a little sweetness. When you are done cooking the syrup be sure to strain it because the seeds in the salmonberries are very hard and not something you want in a syrup.

The recipe is below. The photos are of my finished syrup and the cooking process.

recipe by: Julie Hodges

Ingredients:

• salmonberries washed
• 6 cups sugar (2/3 of the amount of berries)
• 1 TBSP. lemon juice

Directions:

Measure the salmonberries and combine with two-thirds of that amount with sugar. (In my case I used 6 cups of sugar.) Then add the lemon juice. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and thickens. Strain out the seeds and bottle. Turn the bottles upside down with the lid on tight and allow to completely cool before flipping upright. Keep refrigerated.

recipe and photos by Julie Hodges

Homemade Salmonberry Cake

We recently moved from the South to the Northwest. This summer we have taken up a new family hobby of mountain climbing/hiking. During one of our hikes, we discovered a type of berry growing on the mountain that we had never seen before. It kind of resembles a raspberry or blackberry. We saw people picking and tasting the berries so we decided to forage some and take them home. I did some research and found out they were salmonberries. The red, orange, and yellow berries are a little sweet but mostly tart so I figured they would be better if they were cooked with a little sugar. The berries are not something you will find at your local grocery store since they only grow in the Northwest and are super perishable. I took the berries I foraged and made a homemade salmonberry cake in my dutch oven. I used the lid on my dutch oven while the cake baked and took it off for the last few minutes. Even though the cake was really golden, it stayed soft and moist. It was really delicious especially with a little homemade vanilla whip cream. If you don’t live in the Northwest or just don’t like salmonberries you can use a different berry for this recipe such as raspberries, black berries, or blueberries. Recipe is below. I found the recipe in the The Pacific Northwest Berry Book by Bob Krumm and James Krumm on pg. 103. Also I used buttermilk instead of the plain milk the recipe calls for. Either one should work. (The photos are of my finished cake and whip cream.)

Salmonberry Cake

recipe by Betty Close, Kiel, Wisconsin

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk (buttermilk works great)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups salmonberries (any berry could be substituted such as raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries)

Directions:

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Cream butter and sugar; add egg. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and vanilla to butter mixture. Pour into greased 9×13-inch pan; sprinkle with salmonberries. bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

(I cooked my cake in a dutch oven sprayed with baking spray with the lid on until the last few minutes I removed the lid for the remainder of the cooking time.

photos and changes to the recipe made by Julie Hodges

the recipe can be found in The Pacific Northwest Berry Book by Bob Krumm and James Krumm on pg. 103.

recipe by Betty Close, Kiel, Wisconsin