Goji 枸杞 - AT LAST!

Goji (枸杞) are also known as Wolfberries.  I was first introduced to them when I was living in Taiwan.  They are used in cooking, both savory and sweet dishes, as well as in herbal remedies.  My wife would often prepare a soup using them to boost our immunity.  In the US they are now referred to as the "super fruit" as they contain many nutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. (see end of article for detailed list)  They can also be eaten like raisins as a snack.

When we were in Taiwan we would always buy goji at the herbalist.  After moving to Oregon, there was no convenient herbalist but we did find dried goji at the Asian market.  I am always wanting to try new things so I thought why not try to grow some.  I didn't know how the berries were dried or if the drying temperture was so high that it would prevent them germinating.  So, I took some of the dried berries and planted them in potting soil and placed them in a sunlit window along with my other garden starts and waited.  Tomatoes sprouted, peppers sprouted, beans and cucumbers sprouted, but no goji.  I waited out the entire spring to no avail.  Then I happened to see a documentary on the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of north-central China.  It mentioned that the area produced about 30 million pounds of goji annually.  When I saw the producing fields and heard them talk about the temperature variations in the region with temperatures ranging from 102^oF to -22^oF I had an idea. 

So, maybe the cold winters were necessary for conditioning the seed.  I placed some of the seed in our freezer and waited three months.  This time the seeds germinated within a week.

I transplanted the seedlings and watched them grow into spindly-branched plants.  I then pruned several and took the largest one and put it out in our garden.  After a season of waiting, the plants all dropped their leaves without blooming.  This past spring, three years after sprouting, the plant in the garden was about three feet tall but still spindly.  I decided to wait until fall before pruning it.

Last week, as I was picking tomatoes, something caught my eye.  There was one red berry hanging on the uppermost branch of the goji plant.  I had not even seen it bloom.  Now I am encouraged and this fall will move all the seedlings out to the garden, prune them, and wait for an abundant harvest next summer.

Wolfberries contain many nutrients and phytochemicals including

• 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals
• 18 amino acids
• 6 essential vitamins
• 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
• 5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
• beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
• 5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (below), lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
• numerous phenolic pigments (phenols) associated with antioxidant properties

Select examples given below are for 100 grams of dried berries.

• Calcium. Wolfberries contain 112 mg per 100 gram serving, providing about 8-10% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
• Potassium. Wolfberries contain 1,132 mg per 100 grams dried fruit, giving about 24% of the DRI.
• Iron. Wolfberries have 9 mg iron per 100 grams (100% DRI).
• Zinc. 2 mg per 100 grams dried fruit (18% DRI).
• Selenium. 100 grams of dried wolfberries contain 50 micrograms (91% DRI)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B₂). At 1.3 mg, 100 grams of dried wolfberries provide 100% of DRI.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C content in dried wolfberries has a wide range from 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams (respectively, 32% and 163% DRI).

Wolfberries also contain numerous phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples:

• Beta-carotene: 7 mg per 100 grams dried fruit.
• Zeaxanthin. Reported values for zeaxanthin content in dried wolfberries vary considerably, from 2.4 mg per 100 grams to 82.4 mg per 100 grams to 200 mg per 100 grams. The higher values would make wolfberry one of the richest edible plant sources known for zeaxanthin content.Up to 77% of total carotenoids present in wolfberry exist as zeaxanthin.
• Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are a major constituent of wolfberries, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

In Search of the Elusive Huckleberry

After living in the area four years Sandra and I have been deemed worthy of taking huckleberry picking. I understand that it may be another ten years before the secrets of mushroom harvesting are revealed. Our friends are taking us into Tillamook State Forest in their four-wheel drive off-road Jeeps. They travel in pairs so that in case of an emergency one could haul/pull/tow the other out. Exciting isn't it!

I rode in the lead Jeep. The driver is a member of the local Certified Emergency Response Team. The Jeep is equipped with roof-top light bars, CB and SW radios, walki talkies, GPS, emergency scanner, a siren, and a weather station. There was other "stuff" that I couldn't identify.We also took along the "Bear Necessities" - Bear Mace and an air horn. The bears like huckleberries too. It wouldn't do to surprise a bear OR to be surprised by a bear. So, we were advised to make a lot of noise to let them know we were around.We left the main road and entered the forest at Brown's Camp. The area is well marked with trails for walking, biking, cycling, ATVs, and off-road vehicles. Not the kind of roads you would want to take your drive-to-work car on. The trails are graded from "one diamond" to three diamonds". We stayed on the "one diamond" trails today but saw some others along the way. I'll cover the off-road adventure in another post.We soon came upon a beaver dam, one of many along the river.
The noise of our cars must have scared him away. He was actively "harvesting" material to build onto his already large dam.

The road was not too bad and the scenery breathtaking. It was about 53 degrees with a light breeze, perfect weather for our trip.

The forest has been logged for a long time and we saw the remains of huge trees along the way.

Someone shouted "Stop, there they are!" So we stopped and sure enough found bushes with red berries on them growing on the decaying stumps.

Out came the containers and the work began.

We found a few more bushes growing nearby, also with red berries.

Berries were few and far between. It became obvious that our containers were much too large for the harvest .

The berries were sour and without a distinctive taste. I was wondering what the fascination about huckleberry picking was all about.

But, we picked the bushes in the area and didn't see or hear any bears the whole time. Saw a lot of signs that deer were in the area: hoof prints were plentiful and most of the tender grass and plant parts had been grazed upon.

Oh, did I mention we were travelling logging roads? And that there is active logging in the area? Signs posted along the road advised tuning to CB channel 13 which we did. Soon we heard "coming in empty at mile marker 6.5". We looked and we were inbound at mile marker 7.5 so we quickly broadcast that information. Not long afterward we heard and saw a logging truck coming up behind us. We found a place to pull over to allow him to pass. But, this meant that there would be loaded logging trucks coming out on this road. So we continued broadcasting our position and looking for any sign of trucks coming. We soon came upon the staging area where the trucks were being loaded. Companies contract for logging certain areas of the forest.

They cut the trees and place them along the roadside to make it easier to load the trucks.

We continued along our way and soon came upon one of the "three-diamond" trails. We decided not to take it but continue on up the mountain.

Along the way we stopped for lunch and came upon some black raspberries. The taste was different from any of the berries we had picked at farms around the area.

We were now off the logging road and getting close to "the area" where we should find more huckleberries bushes.

And find them we did, this time the blue black variety resembling a wild blueberry.

It had sprinkled a few minutes and there was a light fog. The result was a picture to behold.

It would have looked better if there were more huckleberries on the branches but the bears and deer had gotten there first.

One of the trails we decided not to take on the way down.

Near the top you can look down into the valley and see old logging areas that have not yet recovered. The logging companies replant the areas; we saw seedlings from a foot high on up.

There was a mist settling in on the way out after spending about five hours enjoying this "rain forest" in the Pacific Northwest.

The lead driver got bored driving the smooth gravel roads so he decided to take the ones he thought more interesting.

The other driver couldn't resist the chance to splash mud/water every time they came upon any.

We came home with about a coffee cup full of each type of berry.

Sandra made jam the next day and it has a very distinctive taste - probably from the effort required to gather the berries.

Huckleberries have been used for many years as a delicious fruit. However, it began to be noticed for medicinal properties as well. In World War II, pilots who ate jam made from huckleberries reported having better night vision. Huckleberry is more well-known for its effect on the digestive system.

When ripe berries are eaten, they can work as a laxative. However, when dried berries are eaten, they can help to counteract diarrhea. It also has uses for problems with the circulatory system such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and weak capillaries. It can be used as a mouthwash and can help to prevent the onset of diabetes.

I can attest to the laxative claim!

Oh, did I mention that I copied down the GPS coordinates of the berry patches?

Pears - Now and Later

Some of our friends live in an apartment in Forest Grove, OR - about 20 minutes away by car. There is an old pear tree on the property that no one has tended for many years. We went three years ago and picked enough pears to eat for several weeks and also make 85 pints of pear salsa. Last year in addition to what we ate fresh we dried a lot for later use in pies and cakes as well as just snacking on. A few weeks ago we learned that the property is being developed and the pear tree will fall to the axe shortly, in fact the survey lines are already marked. So we paid one last visit to the old tree.

I'm too old (and smart) to climb trees anymore. Sandra, our daughter Stephanie, and our friends and I took turns spotting pears and picking. [a lot of time was spend dodging falling pears - they are HARD]

Our fruit picker is indispensable; pears, apples, plums - all are now in reach.

Of course, the largest and prettiest fruit is always at the top of the tree.

Then is when its handy to have a friend who is not afraid of heights. While we were picking, a neighbor walked by and said he had a couple of pear trees just behind our friend's apartment we could pick if we wanted. We picked those and hopefully they will be a source of pears next year.
The fruits of our labor. One of three boxes picked today.

We wrapped most of the pears in paper and will store them in a cool place, taking them out when we want them to ripen. Pears are one of the few fruits that can be picked when mature but not ripe. They will ripen to full flavor later. This box will last several months. Some were ripe enough to use now.

As I sit here I can smell the pear coffee cake Sandra has baked to share with those who helped with the picking. Of course there's one for us!

Gardening? no - Fishing? Yes

First, an update on the Mason Bee project. We have had cold weather much later than normal this year. As a result, the Mason Bees didn't hatch until after the apricot trees bloomed. So, no apricots again this year. The bees did nest though as you can see below.
Now I will wait until November to open the nesting block and see if I have any viable cocoons to clean and prepare to hatch next Spring.

The apricots will be given one more chance. One tree is being cut back to four 3" diameter main trunks and the second is being severely pruned. Hopefully one of these techniques will result in apricots next year. Otherwise the space will be used for something we can harvest.

The cold weather has delayed the garden production dramatically. Last year we were harvesting in early June. This year it was late July or early August for most crops and we still don't have a ripe tomato. Of course the zucchini are producing.
So, what do you do? Go Fishing!

My daughter Stephanie made arrangements for me to accompany her along with some friends on a salmon fishing trip. Sandra gets seasick on the dock walking to the boat so she stayed home. You have to get an early start so I left home at 3AM to drive to Stephanie's house then we drove another hour and fifteen minutes to the coast. We put the boat in at Hammond, OR - near the mouth of the Columbia River. There wasn't much light at 6AM. It was a 30-minute ride to the area we were fishing. Along the way the sun came up but it didn't feel much warmer. It was 53 degrees NOT counting the wind chill from a 25 mph boat ride or the spray. I had on a tee shirt, long-sleeved denim shirt, sweatshirt, and an insulated windbreaker. That didn't do much for my face! Next time I will wear a wet suit - I was soaked in no time.
Our guide was Shanon; she runs a charter called "Let's Go Fishing" and is well known in the area as one of the few female guides and one that will bring in fish if there are any being caught. The day before she finished second in the Salmon Derby with the next-to-largest fish. Oregon has very tight controls on sport fishing. You must have a license of course but in addition in order to fish for salmon, halibut, or sturgeon you must have an additional license. A one-day license costs $16.75. It includes a tag on which you have to record each catch with type of fish (8 different kinds of salmon), where caught, length, and date. Failure to do correctly can result in a $300 fine. Also, you cannot keep "wild" Chinook or Coho salmon in order to maintain the species. Whew, glad the guide knows all about this.

We were about 500 feet away from the dock when one of the guys said "Wait, I left the box of food on the dock." We went back and got it. He didn't realize then but he also left the ice chest with the food (fried chicken) and the beer. He didn't discover that until mid-morning when Stephanie and I took out our sandwiches for "brunch". He was most concerned about the beer (a 24-can pack) but Shanon was concerned about the lunch which he was bringing. I gave her a banana and she had some cookies and a couple of cupcakes to tide her over until we got back to the chicken on the dock.

Over 1,000 boats put out today, and there was a lot of jockeying for position. The technique was to speed out and troll back in; then repeat - and repeat. We fished from 6AM until 4PM. I caught the first fish. It was early in the first run and we weren't completely ready. The fish made a run for the boat and I called for the net - no net. The tackle was very light and no way to get the fish in the boat without a net. Besides the guide must determine the fish can be legally caught before bringing it into the boat; otherwise it is released while still in the net. The fish made another run at the boat and actually ran into it - still no net. On the third run in the fish decided to run under the boat and caught the leader breaking the line. Oh well, I caught the first fish anyway. The boat was actually a "jet sled" seating six. It was almost a flat-bottom and there was a lot riding up and splashing back down on the way out. Also, no seat belts! On the final run we were a LONG way out and coming back against the tide so there was a LOT of splash and spray. I was very glad that I took along a change of clothes for the ride home.Three happy fishermen (fisherpersons??). I was happy too just to have the experience. Stephanie caught a Chinook and the other two are Coho. No one wanted the fish heads so Sandra has them for fish stew or grilling salmon cheeks. Stephanie graciously shared hers with us. Sandra wants us to go back and while we are fishing she will hang round the place where they clean and dress the fish and collect the "unwanted" heads. That will be another blog entry.

Well now it's sit and wait for the tomatoes to get ripe!