Posted on Mar 14, 2023
Superabundant dispatch: How Marionberry became Oregon’s official pie
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March 14 is colloquially known as Pi Day (get it? Pie day) and we in the Northwest have a tendency to take our pie very seriously. Since 1978, Hermiston-born restaurant chain Shari’s Cafe & Pies (originally Shari’s Restaurant & Pie Bakery) isn’t just for 24-hour breakfast; it was originally a pie spot. Franz Bakery’s hand-held chocolate creme and fruit pies are a taste of childhood. Whether you look in a restaurant, a farm stand or the grocery store, a quality pie can be found all over the region. Heck, in Myrtle Point, they even sell mini hand-made pies at their local library during their annual Harvest Festival.
There are savory pot pies to go from Tualatin’s 150 year-old family farm, Lee Farms Market & Bakery. And don’t forget the pizza — from family-style buffet Abby’s to Pietro’s taco pizza to artisanal wood-fired Ken’s, we’ve got a pie of every stripe.
Pie has always been part of the Northwest’s culinary landscape. It traveled west with Overlanders and was quickly adapted to the local ingredients of the new country. Pie has maintained its place on the gastronomic throne ever since, its humble ubiquity belying its influence and appeal.
There are savory pot pies to go from Tualatin’s 150 year-old family farm, Lee Farms Market & Bakery. And don’t forget the pizza — from family-style buffet Abby’s to Pietro’s taco pizza to artisanal wood-fired Ken’s, we’ve got a pie of every stripe.
Pie has always been part of the Northwest’s culinary landscape. It traveled west with Overlanders and was quickly adapted to the local ingredients of the new country. Pie has maintained its place on the gastronomic throne ever since, its humble ubiquity belying its influence and appeal.
Superabundant dispatch: How Marionberry became Oregon’s official pie
Posted from opb.orgPosted in these groups: 
Food/ChowState of Oregon
Food/ChowState of Oregon
Posted 1 y ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Unless you’re a true enthusiast, most of those probably won’t ring a bell — loganberries and boysenberries have had their day in the syrup dispenser and jam jar, but the average person probably couldn’t pick an olallie out of a lineup. The Oregon State University-born berry was derived from a cross between a few different cultivars and the Northwest’s native trailing blackberry (R. ursinus), but it doesn’t like Oregon’s cooler weather and like boysenberry, has mostly been relegated to the fields of California.
Loganberry’s germplasm has been used to sire numerous successful cultivars, including the California-bred boysenberry and our olallieberry, whose local claim to fame wouldn’t come until the 1950s: It’s the mother of Marion.
Named for the county in which they were first tested and grown, Marionberries are special. They’re like fine wine; a perfect balance of tart and sweet, dark and juicy with a complex floral-fruity fragrance that’s positively intoxicating. Because of their exceedingly short season (and even shorter shelf life), they’re nearly all frozen immediately after harvest, which means that when you buy frozen Marionberries you’re getting a perfectly ripe product. And a perfectly ripe version of a perfect fruit makes the perfect pie — our official state pie since 2017."...
..."Unless you’re a true enthusiast, most of those probably won’t ring a bell — loganberries and boysenberries have had their day in the syrup dispenser and jam jar, but the average person probably couldn’t pick an olallie out of a lineup. The Oregon State University-born berry was derived from a cross between a few different cultivars and the Northwest’s native trailing blackberry (R. ursinus), but it doesn’t like Oregon’s cooler weather and like boysenberry, has mostly been relegated to the fields of California.
Loganberry’s germplasm has been used to sire numerous successful cultivars, including the California-bred boysenberry and our olallieberry, whose local claim to fame wouldn’t come until the 1950s: It’s the mother of Marion.
Named for the county in which they were first tested and grown, Marionberries are special. They’re like fine wine; a perfect balance of tart and sweet, dark and juicy with a complex floral-fruity fragrance that’s positively intoxicating. Because of their exceedingly short season (and even shorter shelf life), they’re nearly all frozen immediately after harvest, which means that when you buy frozen Marionberries you’re getting a perfectly ripe product. And a perfectly ripe version of a perfect fruit makes the perfect pie — our official state pie since 2017."...
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