🌿 Taste of the PNW: Summer Edition

A celebration of our region’s ripest, wildest, most rooted flavors

As we speak, or rather, as I type, I’m cherishing last night’s berry harvest from our backyard. There’s something special about the way the Pacific Northwest tastes in summer.

It’s blackberry-stained fingers and grilled corn on the Traeger.
It’s wild salmon on cedar planks, peaches soft with sunshine, and tomatoes so fresh they hardly need salt.

Whether you're nestled deep in our fir-scented region or following along from across the country, this post is an invitation to savor the slow, abundant flavors of summer... the way the PNW does it.

🍓 The Wild + Local Harvest

Each fruit and veggie listed below is more than just regional. It’s part of our story. These are the flavors that show up at roadside stands, farmers markets, and in generations-old jam jars tucked into cupboards.

What’s in season and deeply PNW:

• Marionberries (unique to Oregon)
  Tart, earthy, and lush. Perfect for crisps, jam, or eating right off the vine. You won’t find these everywhere, but they’re a local treasure.

• Rainier Cherries (native to Washington)
  Golden and blushed with red. Sweet, tender, and loyal heart-stealers during their short season (and my loyalty EVERY year).

• Huckleberries (foraged in the wild)
  Found in higher elevations across Washington and Idaho. They’re tart, punchy, and beloved in pancakes, pies, and syrups.

• Blackberries (wild and everywhere)
  Overgrown and persistent, they’re a childhood memory for many. Their flavor deepens in the late summer sun.

• Hood Strawberries (Oregon-grown)
  Smaller, sweeter, and softer than store-bought kinds. Best eaten quickly or turned into freezer jam before they vanish.

• Blueberries, Peaches, Nectarines
  Farm-fresh and full of juice. Grown throughout the Willamette Valley and Yakima, often alongside flower fields and honey stands.

🥒 Summer’s Savory Side

It’s not all sweetness… summer here also brings an abundance of deeply nourishing, garden-grown staples:

• Zucchini + Summer Squash: Sautéed, grilled, or spiralized

• Heirloom Tomatoes: Bursting with flavor! Perfect with flaky salt and a leaf of basil

• Sweet Corn: Grilled or steamed, ideally eaten outside

• Walla Walla Sweet Onions: So mild and sweet they’re perfect raw

🐟 And Of Course... Salmon

Wild Pacific Salmon (especially Sockeye and Coho)
Caught off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and BC. This isn’t just a dinner… it’s tradition.

Try it grilled on a cedar plank, seasoned with lemon and a pinch of Jacobsen Sea Salt.

🌲 Bringing the Taste Home

Even if you’re not in the region, many of these flavors can be found at your local farmer’s market or natural grocer. You might:

• Start a summer dinner with local peaches + mint

• Make a berry crisp with Bob’s Red Mill oats

• Try cedar-planked salmon with wild herbs

• Or simply slice a tomato, sprinkle with flaky salt, and eat it barefoot for full PNW vibes

Sometimes, that’s enough.

✨ Free PNW Guide

To make it easy to explore or share, I created a printable called:
PNW Products You Can Find Anywhere
🌿 [Click here to download it]

Use the “Homebody’s Pantry” section as a guide for comfort food (from our forest to your fridge).

Let this summer season be one of rooted joy.
Of sticky fingers, sun-warmed produce, and slow meals shared together.
Of tasting the wild, wherever you are.

🌿 In the rain, we root. In the wild, we grow.