“Swordferns and salmonberries cover my sweetheart’s backyard,
way up in the mountains, to get there I must travel far,
following a turquoise river, through the deep, dark forest green,
where the swordferns and salmonberries fill the spaces in between.”
~Laura Kemp
Every time I pick juicy, ripe salmonberries along a creek, this song by one of my favorite local folk musicians plays in my head. I first started seeing Laura Kemp play live when I moved to the area, and still try to catch her performances every year at the Oregon Country Faire. My favorite album of hers is May, and definitely worth a listen. Here’s a video of her performing the song at Sam Bond’s Garage in March 2009. I was at that show!
And a little more on the Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), since they are an amazing plant after all:
They look like what we call Molter. I put them in the freezer, then in cream for my husbands Christmas dessert. They are hard to find, so I don't get my hands on many. Pam
That sounds like a delicious dessert! You have to find just the right spot to find a lot of salmonberries. I usually just find a handful.