Living in the Pacific Northwest brings forth an incredible and diverse bounty of produce — especially during this summer harvest season — but there's one fruit that stands alone as the most definitive taste of Oregon summer.
The big, shiny, tender marionberry is a local delicacy with about a two month window (late July to early September) at local farmers' markets and grocery stores.
Named after the Marion county of Oregon (just south of Portland), the berry was developed in the mid 50s by George F. Waldo. Its tart initial flavor gives way to a lingering subtle sweetness, and its texture can range from firm to slightly soft. These taste and texture traits derive from a crossbreeding of several types of berries; chehalem blackberry, raspberry and olallieberry.
The people of Portland are mad for the marionberry, and local chefs highlight the regional ingredient in creative ways — folded within cupcakes, atop pork chops within chutney, churned into gelato, and often in the center of a double-crusted pie.
We at The Kitchn appreciate the superstar fruit in all of its incarnations, and one way to highlight this berry is blended into an unconventional agua fresca. Made with a few simple, complementary ingredients — agave nectar, rose water, plain water and ice cubes, this is the marionberry at its purest! The delightful drink is refreshing any time of day, and has the potential to be frozen, shaved and made into a granita or poured into popsicle molds to carry on with the desserts-on-sticks trend.
Have you ever encountered a marionberry? If so, what did you do with it?
Marionberry Rosewater Agua Fresca
Serves 4
1 pint marionberries (blackberries will do for those who can't get marionberries)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
3/4 teaspoon rose water
3/4 cups water
3-4 ice cubes
Directions:
Throw all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high for about a minute, until all ingredients are smooth — serve immediately.
Leela Cyd Ross is a private chef, food writer, and photographer based in Portland, Oregon.
Related: Something New! Tayberries and Tayberry Jam
(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)
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Aw, this is making me homesick. Gorgeous photos!
great post, i actually just made marionberry scones, and they were incredible. i found the recipe on food network. now you have me yearning the berry pie!
it's market day in my neighborhood, and these berries are coming home with me. i am eager to try the agua fresca with rose water, summertime!!!
Mmmmm. This post just made me literally salivate at my desk. I wish Marionberries were available here on the East Coast, they sound delish. I suppose I'll have to settle for the blackberry version of this agua fresca this weekend at our garden party!
I love Marionberries. This makes my mouth water. I want an agua fresca to wash down my pie and cupcake. Isn't marionberry named after Marion Clark from the Lewis & Clark exhibition?
I WANT THIS!!!!! YUM!!!!
Thank you for this post. Wonderfully written and the photo is so tantalizing.
That looks scrumptious!! I'm not much of a berry lover, but I'm definitely going to have to try this recipe...
They are delicious! A friend and I were in Salem Oregon for a wedding and we went to the farmers market the day of the wedding to pick up some breakfast and found Marionberries. As we were eating them though, I was so confused. I asked my friend: "what were these called? Marion Barrys? like the former mayor of DC???" She was like "I think that's what the sign said..." Later in the day the Oregon native bride cleared things up for us
This looks tasty! I love these berries! Will definitely try. I want that cupcake and pie too please.
Great post; booking my flight to Portland!
My kitchen is overflowing with blackberries right now thanks to some foraging in the hills of Marin County last weekend. I love the agua fresca idea! Definitely going to give it a shot. Maybe even mixed with a bit of sparkly water for agua fresca fizz?
Wow, this sounds wonderful! We live a few blocks away from a farmer's market, marionberries will be definitely on my next shopping list!
The perfect way to use this bounty of summer fruit that we have in Portland right now! Can't wait to try with marionberries, and then maybe some peaches too!
Have to try this. Perfect for the hot days of summer. Great idea to make popsicles.
Thanks for the new recipe. My love of marionberries and berries in general dates me, but as a child we picked blackberries in Seattle and sold them to the neighbors to earn our spending money. Our neighborhood had many blackberry patches within walking distance and we would head out early in the morning to beat the summer heat with our pails and lunch for a day of picking.
I'm searching for something fabulous, and here it is! Thanks for all the excellent information. Jt
Sarah!F - dangerously delicious pies in dc sells a marion berry pie - marionberries w/ rock candy on top. i haven't had it, but they get points for creativity and making me laugh :)
Mmmmmm...marionberries! We are truly spoiled in the NW. Great post. Now I know where they came from and remembered how much I like, yet never make, a tasty agua fresca. Cheers!
How about a bit of gin with the agua fresca....making it a lovely Summertime Agua Loca!
Ohh la la! You have such a delightful way with words....your tantalizing description of marionberries has left me yearning for a taste of your refreshing aqua fresca! I just so happen to be flying up to Portland on Friday and I can't wait to visit the farmers' market and indulge! Maybe I'll see you there?
my berries always mold before i get a chance to use them. this concise little entry prods me to whip them into something unusual. living in So. Cal lends a mexican influence to most everything we eat, and this makes me want to ditch the regular over-sweetened cantaloupe drink that is common around here. sweet piece.
My neighbor picked 14 quarts of blueberries this year and made a similar confection but we add vodka to ours. Can't wait to try the marionberry, though and rose water is an excellent touch.
Delectable prose skills!
a friend gave me a ton of marionberries, and now I know what to do with them :)
I usually don't take the time to post comments but, in this case, I have to say WOW! And, thank you. I made the tasty fresca this afternoon for some friends and we were blown away at how scrumptious it was. Plus, what a refreshing idea for a summer berry!!
My mouth is watering just thinking of these yummy berries! I'm going to have to try the drink recipe...morning smoothies are the best. I like how you added rose water, too.
etherbunny - good addition with the vodka! I could have marionberries all day. :)
I fell in love with the marionberry when I moved to Portland 5 years ago. There is nothing like plucking a ripe, warm, soft delicious berry right off the vine and eating it instantly. Especially if you grew them yourself! These little things are to die for, and soooo Portland. I love how simple and refreshing this recipe sounds and can't wait to try it! Plus I love the idea of adding rosewater.
Oh how I love marionberries. I love the recipe for the Agua Fresca! I had lemonade with rose water a couple of days ago; it's such a nice and refreshing treat. I think I'll turn this into a cocktail this weekend!
This is the first article I have read on the Kitchn and I am impressed. Your writers are clear, concise and entertaining.
I am a novice in the kitchen, but hope to become more prolific with the help of this website and broaden my scope of what I can create.
I am so happy I chose the Kitchn as the place to start this journey to more exploratory cooking... and I am going to start right now by making Marionberry Rosewater Agua Fresca for my girlfriend and I!
Awesome!!!
I love the Agua Fresca in all its forms--best at El Bajio on lower Milpas St. in Santa Barbara, California. Or I should say next best. This one surely tops it. Viva la Marionberry!
So nice to know that marion berry is so much more than a disgraced DC mayor. I love the agua fresca recipe.
I made this today, with blackberries ... and it was just fantastic! Thanks for sharing...
London lacks marion berries but I'll be adapting this lovely simple recipe for our English fall fruits ........ thanks for delicious idea and pix
i've been surfing the web hunting for just the right berry refreshment to serve up for my backyard picnic this weekend - thank you! this is just the ticket....i'll be dreaming of agua fresca until soon!...
Just last weekend I found Marionberries at a supermarket in NH! I used them to top almond hinted French toast with local maple syrup. So light! So delish!
Thanks for the new and interesting idea for a refreshing drink. I made it this afternoon after a hunt for the marionberry. Delicious!