During my first visit to Portland (long before I actually moved here), my significant other and I ate dinner one night at a restaurant that proudly claimed to showcase the cuisine of the Northwest. After a meal of salmon accompanied by more varieties of mushrooms than I had ever seen on one plate before, the waiter approached us to reel off the list of dessert specials. He was rather taken aback when we responded to his recommendation of the marionberry pie by loudly snickering.
Having lived in the suburbs of Washington, DC for the past 25 years, I erroneously assumed that this was a wry political statement in pastry form. We had to order it. What could possibly be in a Marion Barry pie? Was it dusted with powdered sugar? Studded with rock candy? Perhaps it was laced with syrup of ipecac (ain't nobody gonna keep this pie down). Is this dessert tax-free? Our amusement dried up quickly when a slice of ordinary fruit pie appeared at our table. The disappointment didn't last long, however, because man, that shit is tasty.
The marionberry is a hybrid blackberry named for Marion County, Oregon. It is a cross of the Chehalem and Olallie blackberries. The Chehalem blackberry is a small, intensely sweet blackberry that is typically grown for use in frozen products. The Olallieberry is a large, tart blackberry that often appears in heavily processed, sweetened products (Olallieberries don't taste so great by themselves). The result of the cross is a largish berry (averaging 5 grams apiece) with a deep purple color, which tastes both very sweet and slightly tart, with subtle earthy undertones.
The flavor of the marionberry is stronger and more complex than your average blackberry, leading some people (mostly marketing pukes employed by the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission) to refer to it as "the cabernet of blackberries." The USDA has rigorous requirements for the labeling of produce, and most blackberry hybrids are required to be labeled simply as "blackberries." However, the marionberry's taste is sufficiently unique that it has received special dispensation to allow sale under the names "Marionberry" or "Marion blackberry," always with a capital "M." In common usage, the capitalization is often dropped.
The marionberry was developed in Corvallis, Oregon by George F. Waldo. Waldo was involved in the USDA's Agricultural Research Service for decades, and now has the virtually unknown distinction of being considered one of the founding fathers of modern caneberry breeding. In the Willamette Valley, where the majority of the United States' caneberries are grown, botanists refer to Waldo by last name without any context, in much the same way that a physicist might refer to Einstein. Waldo created many different berry cultivars during his career, but his most well known creation is, of course, the marionberry, which he first cultivated in 1945, and released to the general public in 1956.
For nearly four decades, marionberries remained one of Oregon's best-kept secrets. People around here put marionberries in damn near anything, including wine and meat marinades, in addition to the usual pies, jams, and ice cream. There are even stories of attempts to woo football prospects into attending local universities with gifts of marionberry jam and syrup. In the early 1990s, the marionberry experienced a (relative) explosion in popularity nationwide, driven largely by the manufacturers of gourmet gift baskets. Inside Oregon, the marionberry is considered a rather pedestrian fruit; outside Oregon, the marionberry is mostly marketed to foodies, with the price differential to prove it. More than 90% of the world's supply is grown in Western Oregon, which produces roughly 30 million pounds of marionberries each year.
The best marionberries are either picked fresh off the bramble at one of Oregon's many family-owned U-Pick berry farms, or purchased at one of Portland's farmer's markets during the peak of berry season in July. In fact, the snooty locavores, of whom Portland seems to have a disproportionately high number, will tell you that these are the only acceptable ways to procure marionberries.
There are, however, alternatives. If you live on the West Coast, chances are good that you'll be able to find fresh marionberries in season and frozen marionberries year-round in your local supermarket. The frozen berries aren't especially good for eating raw (unless you like slightly soggy berries), but are perfectly fine for pies and the like. If you live elsewhere, you might be able to find fresh or frozen marionberries during the summer months, but your options may be limited to prepared marionberry products most of the time. A jar of good marionberry preserves is worth buying.
Sources:
- Finn, Chad. "Caneberry Breeders in North America." HortScience. Vol. 41, Issue 1. February 2006.
- "Marionberries: A Delicious Part of Salem's Past." Salem Online History. http://www.salemhistory.net/commerce/marionberries.htm. Accessed: January 5, 2008.
- Oregon Marionberries. http://www.marionberries.com. Accessed: January 4, 2008.
- Oregon Marionberries. http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx21/freshmarket_marionberry_Template.pdf. Accessed: January 5, 2008.
- "Oregon's Raspberries and Blackberries: Some Berry History." Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission. http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx1/cx1a.htm. Accessed: January 4, 2008.