Meeko, salmonberry shoot

Description:

soft new growth coming from the rootstalk of the salmonberry plant

Habitat:

Pacific coast temperate rain forest, in clearings of alder, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce & western hemlock.

Notes:

Meeko is what a Siletz tribal elder told me it was called when he was a boy. When still young and fairly close to the ground, the pith is not woody but makes a juicy, tangy snack when the soft thorny skin is peeled off. In another month the thorns will be hard and the pith woody, making it inedible. It contains a measure of oxalic acid, which gives it flavor.