Salmonberry and Interconnectedness

Spring is finally here. It has been a dark and challenging winter filled with societal tension, economic turmoil, and a looming mental health crisis. What can we do to care for ourselves now? As in the pandemic, many people are turning to nature for solace. Just being outside and witnessing spring emerging can be such calming medicine. 

Our Native Plants and Foods Institute team is especially grateful for the teachings of salmonberry right now— a reminder that everything is connected. In a healthy forest ecosystem, salmonberries have many relationships. Pink flowers are the first splash of color after winter and call hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees in to drink sweet nectar. These pollinators carry pollen to other salmonberry plants and support future generations. Ripe salmonberries mark the beginning of berry season, and their big, juicy fruits feed birds, squirrels, chipmunks, coyotes, deer, bears, humans, and many other creatures. These animals spread seeds to new locations. Salmonberry plants often grow alongside streams and ponds, stabilizing the banks and keeping water cool for aquatic life. They may provide shelter over pools so aquatic species like fish and frogs can hide from predators. When salmon spawn and die, they feed the salmonberries through enriching the soil. It is nearly impossible to look at salmonberries without seeing a complex web of relationships.  

We are also part of an interconnected web of relationships. What we do affects those around us. Our news, economy, and health care system are more connected to the broader world than ever before. For example, notice how quickly new strains of COVID travel around the world, or how a shift in the stockmarket affects global markets. As salmonberry shows us, mutual care supports the whole ecosystem. 

Here some questions you might ask yourself as you think about salmonberry and interconnectedness:

• What is my own interconnected web of relationships? Who do I support, and who supports me?
• During this time of societal upheaval, how can I nurture my connections?
• What opportunities does this time offer me to connect and deepen my relationships with non-human relatives?
• What commitments can I make to strengthening relationships and supporting resilient communities?

‍

Getting to Know Salmonberry

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) forms dense thickets in wet forested areas, especially along streams and rivers. Plants grow as high as nine feet tall with brown stems covered in thorns and leaves resembling the raspberry plant with three leaflets. When you fold down the top leaf, the bottom two look like a butterfly. Deep pink flowers have five petals and many stamens. Leaves are sharply toothed, pointed at the tip, and grow in threes. Salmonberries are the first berry to ripen—usually in April through June. They can be orange to ruby-colored and are the same shape as raspberries and blackberries. Salmonberry is in the rose family. 

Salmonberry provides important food for many species including birds, butterflies, insects, and larger mammals. Salmonberry patches provide shelter for birds and small mammals. Many Native communities in the Pacific Northwest associate salmonberry with Swainson’s thrush, which is also called salmonberry bird. Salmonberry flowers are often in bloom when this bird returns from its winter grounds. You might hear it singing its song from salmonberry bushes.

Some Salish Elders teach that salmonberry is an environmental indicator for salmon runs. Salmonberries often grow along waterways including rivers and streams. If there is enough rain and the waters are healthy and flowing well, salmonberry flowers will be abundant, and salmon will be able to easily spawn up rivers and streams to renew their species.

‍Salmonberry as Food

‍The tender spring shoots of salmonberry are also called bear candy because bears relish this spring treat. Sprouts are only available for a few weeks unless you travel to colder regions or higher elevations. As soon as it gets warm, new shoots grow rapidly. During this time, they are tender and juicy, and can easily be pinched off either from where they emerge on previous years stems or from the ground. The outer skin is easy to peel, leaving a crunchy vegetable that is tart and sweet. Sprouts become more bitter toward the tip of the shoot. As they mature, they become hard and fibrous. If you can’t easily pinch them off with your fingers, don’t bother. Remember to leave plenty of sprouts for salmonberry bushes to grow strong and for other animals to eat their spring greens! 

Salmonberry flowers are edible and have a sweet taste due to the nectar and pollen. They can be used to garnish salads and desserts. The berries can vary in color from yellow to orange to red to a deep purple on the same bush. The taste does vary according to where they grow: perform taste-tests to find the most delicious bushes. Some Coast Salish families have maintained salmonberry patches like raspberry patches for generations. 

‍‍

Salmonberry as Medicine

Salmonberry sprouts and leaves are astringent and tighten inflamed tissue including wounds, burns, swollen gums, stomach problems, and gut inflammation. You can make a mineral-rich and astringent tea from the leaves of salmonberry and other rose family plants including strawberry, blackberry, and thimbleberry. Completely dry the leaves before making tea. Use 1 tablespoon per cup and steep 10–15 minutes. 

Learn more about salmonbery in the Plant Teachings for Growing Social-Emotional Skills Toolkit. It is also featured in Tend, Gather, and Grow Plant Guide, the Cultural Ecosystems: Food Forests Field Guide, and the Wild Food Traditions: Native Berries Module.

‍