Thanks to Victoria for this wonderful jam she brought us from Santa Cruz when she stayed with us a while back. I think it is the best jam I have ever eaten – tasty, not too sweet, and with the tiny berries still identifiable in the spread.
I’d never heard of an Olallie Berry before, probably because it is native to the West Coast. It’s the mutt of the berry world, part Loganberry and part Youngberry, which are themselves crosses of Raspberry, Blackberry and Blueberries. Apparently, the Olallie looks like a blackberry, but the flavor is really a wonderful cross between all three.
The Olallie was actually created in Oregon as part of a USDA-Oregon State University cooperative cross breeding program in the 1930’s. I’d say it’s genetic engineering at it’s best.
If you ever have a chance to visit Gizdich Ranch, I highly recommend their pie! We were supposed to go with friends after we went kiwi picking last year (did you know that kiwis grow on giant, ~7′ high vines, sorta like the Andre the Giant version of grape vines? I had no idea until we went). We ended up not making it after my husband was distracted while I was getting us cider and my 18 month old fell off of her picnic bench and faceplanted into another, biting through her lip. So instead of going to Gizdich, we went into Santa Cruz to the ER for 5 stitches. But, because my friends are awesome, they bought us a pie and delivered it to us with forks and plates at the hospital parking lot. Anyway, I hear the ranch is great, and I can attest to the greatness of the pie. Hopefully we will actually make it there on this year’s excursion!