Blackberry Picking for a Cause with Rooted Remedies

In the poem “Blackberrying,” Sylvia Plath describes picking blackberries as an experience that immerses the senses; it sounds heavenly — “Ebon in the hedges fat / With blue red juices.” This Saturday, August 31, you can have your own “Blackberrying” experience. Rooted Remedies will be hosting Wildcrafting at Buford Park. The event will consist of picking blackberries — particularly invasive Himalayan and Armenian blackberries. Though the Himalayan and Armenian blackberries may be sweet, their effect on the ecosystem is quite sour, taking up more resources than native plants, including the blackberries native to Oregon, the Pacific blackberry. In short, the Himalayan and Armenian blackberries are greedy, which is why Rooted Remedies, in partnership with Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah’s Native Plant Nursery and part of their “Invasive Species Utilization Project,” a collaboration with Lane County Parks, will be working to mitigate the spread of Himalayan and Armenian blackberry seeds by picking the fruit and using them to create herbal medicine. They’ll be concocting blackberry shrubs, a drink with vinegar and sugar with a nice sweet and sour balance. Blackberries are rich in antioxidants and minerals on top of being tasty. All of the tools for making herbal medicine will be provided. Wear clothing that you won’t mind possibly getting dirty, including shoes that could get wet or muddy. A hat and sunglasses are recommended. Stay hydrated, bring water. Stay nourished, bring snacks. And for your curiosity, bring a notebook and pen. This Saturday can be your chance to pick away interloping berries, a sweet way to help make a difference.

Wildcrafting at Buford Park is 9 am to 1 pm Saturday, August 31, at Buford Park Native Plant Nursery, 34649 Frank Parrish Road. RSVP at RootedRemedies.co. $65.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

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Thank you for standing with us!