Olallieberry?!?

Next Saturday, we will be on the road. This week will focus on all the chores to get us on the road! But, I also am seeing the Weight Management doctor on Wednesday for my final weigh in before the trip.

Last night, Michael and I hopped into the Porsche for a run down the coast for dinner at our favorite dive. They had a special of steamed artichokes with a their aioli sauce. They grow them. Small. Juicy. Light. Delightful. Michael moaned when he bit into the best crab sandwich ever while I had four cooked oysters. But, the bread. Oh my. A freshly baked hunk of SF Sourdough at its very best. Yes, I had a small piece with the oysters. Heaven on earth. Michael finished with a piece of their famous Olallieberry pie (a la mode, of course!) and a cup of coffee. We give bottles of Olallieberry sauce as gifts to the people we visit on our road trips. Always a hit. Years ago, they used to also make Olallieberry Jam but they now use those berries for the pies. So, we also bought a few jars of Strawberry-Rhuberb and Strawberry Jam made from berries grown on their land.

What the heck is an Olallieberry? I found this quick explanation online:

This is our most frequently asked question! What is an Olallieberry? Genetically, it is approximately two-thirds Blackberry and one-third European Red Raspberry. The Olallieberry was developed in 1949 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Oregon State University by crossing a Loganberry with a Youngberry. While primarily developed in Oregon, it has never been very productive there and is primarily grown in California. Because the olallieberry has blackberry on both sides of its parentage, it exhibits many of the same flavor characteristics of the blackberry. However, olallieberries are much larger in size and generally are sweeter than blackberries grown under the same conditions. How did the Olallieberry get its name? “Olallie” is a word for berry that was used by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. So you’re actually saying “berry berry”! How do you pronounce Olallieberry? Say the “o” first and the rest will follow (oh-la-leh). How do you spell it? We have seen it spelled all sorts of ways – ollieberry, ollalieberry, olallie berry, lallieberry, olalliberry, ollaberry, olliberry, and even hallieberry! But it is o-l-a-l-l-i-e-b-e-r-r-y. And, how does it taste? It’s tart, sweet, juicy and delicious. And we serve it up every morning in preserves, yogurt, and, on occasion, Olallieberry Stuffed French Toast!