Oregon grape - not a grape at all.

Red leaves and blue berries in the fall of the Oregon grape plant.

During the summer, the dark green foliage of the Oregon grape plant is reminiscent of holly. If you happen to brush against its leaves, the similarity is remarkable.  The berries are a different story, though.

Oregon grape berries are edible; I made a jam/jelly from a batch growing in my backyard earlier this year.  They are very bitter and have more seeds than fruit.  The amount of fruit I picked was reduced by more than half after removing the skin and seeds.  I needed a tremendous amount of sugar/sweetner to make up for the bitterness.  The berries are packed with vitamine C and antioxidents and have some value for immunity.  They don't taste like grapes at all, and for a good reason, they don't belong to the grape family.

The great thing about Oregon grape is that it doesn't need a lot of light - it is very shade and drought tolerant.  Large plants produce hundreds, if not thousands, of berries.  They are a staple for birds in the late fall, winter, and early spring.  The thick bush and sharp spikes on the leaves also provides protection from predators who are wary of the nasty projections.  The plant is also an evergreen shrub, meaning that the leaves don't fall off in the fall.  They may turn red, as in the photo above, but I have also seen them stay green.  The thick year-round foilage provides excellent cover for many species.

Oregon grape is found throughout the Okanagan.  It is a native plant and is excellent at protecting slopes from erosion.  The fact that it is both shade and drought tolerant makes it useful for slopes facing all compass directions.  I have a dozen plants protecting my sloping back yard.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com