divaqs's Blog

Bear Candy - Salmonberry Shoots
Apr 17, 2007 | 9:10 AM PST
Tags: SalmonBerry , native , edible

This time of year brings back memories for me of eating bear candy as a kid with my Dad. I've passed on the tradition to my own kids as well, and this is one of the first things I sometimes see them "grazing" on in my yard in the spring.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a native berry bush called Salmonberries, which is related to raspberries and blackberries.

During the spring, these Salmonberry bushes blossom and put up new shoots. The shoots, when about a foot or so tall can be broken or cut-off off at the ground, the skin peeled off, and the tender stalk eaten. The flavor of the stalks, commonly called bear candy, can range between tart (when more firm) to somewhat sweet (when more tender).

The berries are some of the first berries to be available of the season. The flavor is mild, but if the berries are allowed to ripen from a yellow to a red color, can be fairly sweet.

As a landscape plant, they do well in shady areas, which is hard to find for other kinds of berry bushes. They prefer moist areas and can form a thicket of upright shrubs.