Just a Small Piece, Please. And While You're at It, Put a Bird on It.

Every region has their own specific flavors.  Southerners love grits (nosugarforpetessake!).  Pittsburgh has it's perogies.  California has...well about everything.  Oregon has marionberries.  

Sweet-tart succulent glorious marionberries.
They are a large round blackberry that's a cross between the chehalem and olallieberry breeds. It's known as the "Cabernet of blackberries."  Because it is a soft berry, growers rarely ship it out of the area; so, if you want some you have to get yourself to Oregon.  

Wikipedia says, "It is an indigenous berry bred by Oregon State University in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture breeding prorgram, the marionberry is the most common blackberry in the state—and more than half Oregon's blackberry crop are marionberries. In fact, despite the fact that Oregon produces between 28 and 33 million pounds of marionberries annually, most of the harvest never make it across state lines—even frozen."

 The first time I had a piece of marionberry pie was after a weekend camping and craw-fishing on Timothy Lake with our friends and neighbors.  We picked and picked and picked those berries and then our neighbor baked and baked and baked us some pie.  I was in love.  Then I discovered that Tillamook Creamery (along the Oregon Coast--a cool day trip through the cheese factory!) created Marionberry Pie Ice Cream.  To. Die. For.

So here's the deal: you want some Marionberry for yourself?  Then follow-through with that planned "someday" visit to Portland and we will gladly give you a taste...because it's only grown in Oregon. That's right, Baby!