When I was a kid, I was obsessed with salmonberries. They are my favourite.

The best I've ever eaten were on the Sunshine Coast trail and nearly the size of golf balls. I could not believe my eyes. I'm always a little nervous of bears in berry season but we still ate our fill before quickly moving on.

My only guess is that the consistent moisture and natural fish fertilizer from the salmon run from the river they were close to were the perfect microclimate for them. That and maybe natural biochar from the burned slag piles they were growing beside. They were also growing in full sun which is the opposite of what everything you read will tell you they like. Also, possibly a little grizzly manure based on what we came across on the trails. 🫣

We finally made a little run to pick up some native plants at a local nursery and we have a beautiful salmonberry bush ready for the ground. Hoping that the biochar in the compost give it a little kick to get it happy here along with a little fish emulsion. Sadly, it's a little harder to find a good source of grizzly bear crap. Lol.

The salal bushes here definitely love a little fish emulsion and kelp meal, but kelp meal is hit or miss to find lately and it's herring spawn season so we won't be collecting any. Maybe later in the season.

So grateful for @ana digging holes and moving soil, as well as her amazing environmental remediation skills. We are slowly turning a neglected backyard into a beautiful little ecosystem. We will likely be pulling bluebells for years to come, but the native plants are making a serious comeback here and it's lovely to see.

#gardening #pnwGardening #pnw #salmonberries #salmonberry

Started today off right. Turns out the secret to enjoying #grapenuts is making sure your overall cereal mixture is mostly #berries. Used up some of the #salmonberries that I foraged earlier this week too!

#nuts #blueberries #hemphearts

Foraged a pint of #salmonberries over my lunch break, and encountered a charming thistle as well!

#nature #pnw #awalkaday #salmonberry #foraging #nativeplants

my pnw divas,

where the hell is a gurl meant to buy some salmonberries? or like, even their seeds to grow some?

#PNW #salmonberry #salmonberries

The #salmonberries have begun to ripen.

#berries #nature #plants #awalkaday #pnw

In #BritishColumbia, a Key to Preserving #OldGrowthForests: Salmon https://atmos.earth/in-british-columbia-a-key-to-preserving-old-growth-forests-salmon

"There are #salmon in the succulent fruit of #salmonberries, the bodies of #bears, the deep green of #trees... In the salmon forests of the #PacificNorthwest and the Canadian coast, the well-being of #fish, trees, and humans are delicately intertwined."

#Thimbleberries & #salmonberries #yummy #WildBerries #snacks ☺️

#Summer #berries #VancouverIsland #WildFoods #NativeBerries #PacificNorthwest #VanIsle #PNW #Foraging

I heard one of my favourite #BirdSongs in #Coquitlam last night (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm territory), a loopy upward spiral song belonging to the Swainson's Thrush.

They were singing in a tree in a friend's yard where my kiddo had been picking #salmonberries.

Just like this:

https://youtu.be/U2UI3IWinI8

#birds