Interesting Tidbits About Berries
berries

The wild blackberries have been important in the heritage of cultivated blackberries in the Northwest. Although blackberries were picked wild and processed for canning, few grower were interested in growing them commercially because of the thorns. In 1926, Mr. Philip Steffes of Sublimity, Oregon found a thornless plant growing east of Stayton, which was identical to the thorny Evergreen blackberry. When it was tested and found to be as productive as the thorny form, it quickly gained popularity and soon became the main blackberry sold in the United States, and grown extensively in Oregon.