Salal Berry Jam

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Katie Wiley

Katie Wiley, also known as The Kitchen Wild has a strong drive to share with the world how simple, fun, and delicious foraging for wild foods can be. She calls the picturesque central Oregon coast home, and lives only a short walk from the Pacific Ocean and Alsea Bay so she’s never far from some of the most delicious and fun-to-gather foods on the planet.

Whether she’s pulling up pots of Dungeness crab, catching crawfish with her bare hands or raking for cockle clams she always has her husband and three children right by her side on these adventures and hopes to inspire you to do the same.

Latest posts by Katie Wiley (see all)

• Key Lime Blueberry Yogurt Bites  - September 11, 2023
• Spicy Pickle-Fried Halibut - August 7, 2023
• Salal Berry Jam - July 10, 2023

Eating my way through one delicious Oregon coastal goodie at a time doesn’t always mean fish or seafood; sometimes it means harvesting good eats right in my own backyard. 

I wasn’t introduced to the Salal Berry until I moved to the Oregon coast a little over 3 years ago. Salal grows wild all around the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest and was once a significant food source used by the natives in this area. 

The salal berry, although very common throughout the Pacific Northwest coastline is still very much an unknown food source, perhaps because it is so common that it’s often overlooked or dismissed as an invasive plant with perhaps poisonous berries. I assure you though, these berries are not only edible, they’re delicious and incredibly nutritious. Salal berries and salal leaves both have some pretty incredible health benefits, the berries themselves are amongst some of the healthiest berries we commonly consume today and are extremely rich in antioxidants and shown to be protective against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even neurodegenerative diseases. With a taste similar to a mild blueberry they’re perfect for jams and jellies or snacking on straight from the bush. The leaves themselves also have incredible health benefits ranging from indigestion to sore throats and although I wouldn’t recommend snacking on these leaves straight from the plant due to their bitter taste they can be dried and used in teas, especially in combination with those delicious berries. 

Harvesting these berries can be a little messy though, they don’t release from the vine quite as easily as other berries so I’ve found that the best way to harvest them is to simply squeeze the top of the berry right at the stem and the berry itself should pop right off. 

So impress your coastal guests this summer with this super simple forest-to-table jam recipe bursting with flavor and health benefits.

Always be 100% sure of what you’re harvesting!

Looking for more berry recipes? Why not try this Venison Toast with Sage-Blueberry Sauce?

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Salal Berry Jam

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Recipe by Katie Wiley Cuisine: Wild Edibles, American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 fresh salal berries

• 1/2 cup 1/2 sugar

• 1 tsp 1 organic agave nectar

Preparation

• In a saucepan over medium heat add berries and sugar and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Once berries have reduced by approximately half and have thickened to a jam-like consistency remove from heat, add agave nectar and gently stir until incorporated. Allow to cool for at least two hours then enjoy as you would any other jam.
• Store jam in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for 3-6 months.

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