Meet Oregon's lesser-known berries: Waldo berries, Black Pearls and more

Marionberries are more common in Oregon, but many of the marionberry cousins are not. (Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian )
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on July 09, 2014 at 7:00 AM, updated July 09, 2014 at 7:41 AM

Oregon is known for its berries, but while you've likely had your fill of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, there are a host of other lesser-known berries out there.

You'll be able to get a mouthful at next weekend's Oregon Berry Festival, where growers and vendors will be toting freshly picked berries and sweet treats made with freshly-picked berries. If you want to break the status quo and try something different, you'd do well to educate yourself on some of our state's rarer berry varieties.

Waldo Berry: A cross between two varieties, the waldo berry is a relative of the marionberry. They're dark in color and long in size, but much more mild in flavor.

Black Pearl: Another relative of the marionberry, the Black Pearl has only a medium acidity with an aromatic flavor. They're ripe when dark in color, usually in mid-July.

Triple Crown Blackberry: The triple crown blackberry is named for its three strongest attributes: flavor, productivity and vigor. Berries on the thornless plant grow quite large as well, ripe when dark red or black at the end of July.

Kotataberry: Developed in Corvallis, the kotataberry is the child of several different berries including boysenberries, blackberries and loganberries.

Loganberry: Loganberries are an interesting cross between the blackberry and raspberry – the berry itself looks like a blackberry, but it's dark red in color. The loganberry has a unique tart taste, usually used in pies and wines.

Chesterberry: Developed in 2007, the chesterberry is a close cousin to the blackberry, but the fruit itself is roughly three times as large. In the marionberry family, chesters come with small seeds and a bitter taste.

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When: July 18 and 19
Where: Ecotrust Event Space (721 N.W. 9th Ave. #200)
Tickets: Free

--Jamie Hale