Oregon Grape Holly is a wonderful plant that grows prolifically in the Northwest. Too tart to snack on, the berries can be pressed and used to make wine, jelly, and this delicious mixed berry jam! The leaves and roots have medicinal properties and can be steeped to make tea.
It's that time of the year when I'm out foraging for berries. From gooseberries to elderberries, thimbleberries, and huckleberries, I just can't get enough of what God provides for us and the wildlife we share this beautiful land with!
It's been quite a few years since the Oregon grape plants around here have produced any fruit. However, I'm delighted to report that we finally have a year of abundance! Now I finally get to make another batch of delicious Oregon grape wine and maybe even try a few new recipes...
In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about this wonderful plant and its many uses! If it doesn't grow where you are, you can purchase vitamins, teas, and powders made with Oregon grape roots and leaves on Amazon!
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🫐 What is Oregon Grape Holly?
Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia) is part of the berberis family and grows in forests in the Pacific NW of North America. The three common types are Mahonia aquifolium or holly-leaved barberry (tall Oregon grape), Mahonia nervosa (dwarf variety), and Mahonia repens (creeping variety).
Also called mountain grape, it is the state flower of Oregon. The hardy plant is drought tolerant and can be grown in full sun to full shade, in zones 4-9. Although not a form of holly, the compound pinnate leaves do resemble holly. They have sharp thorny spines and a leathery texture.
The plant's edible yellow flowers blossom in spring, and then develop into tiny green berries that grow in clusters, similar to grapes.
As the edible berries continue to ripen into late summer and early fall, they go from red to a deep purple. The ripe berries are very tart, which is why they are mostly used in recipes that call for plenty of sugar, such as jam, pie, or wine.
The ripe berries are darker than they appear on the vine because they are covered in a white bloom which is actually wild yeast! I first learned about wild yeast while picking elderberries, as they too can be coated with it.
🌿 How to Forage Oregon Grape
To forage this wonderful plant, you need to wait until late summer/early fall, when the berries are ripe. All you need to pick them is a basket or a large ziplock bag. You'll know they're ready to pick if they offer very little resistance when plucked and are blueish-purple in color.
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When ripe, the entire cluster comes off with a gentle tug. If there are some green berries in the cluster, you can just pick around them. If you do end up with unripe berries, they will ripen off the vine in no time.
A pair of gloves can come in handy because the leaves are quite sharp and thorny around the edges. Speaking of leaves, they can be dried, along with Oregon grape roots. Both can be boiled in hot water to make a medicinal tea!
🫖 Medicinal & Other Uses
Oregon grape is very nutritious and rich in vitamin C. The entire plant has medicinal value but should be consumed in moderation. The roots contain alkaloids berberis, which stimulate involuntary muscles. It was once used to aid in the delivery of the afterbirth. Because it can stimulate the uterus, pregnant women should not consume any part of this plant.
The plant was also crushed and used for its anti-oxidant, antiseptic, and anti-bacterial properties. It was used to make poultices and teas to treat anything from wounds to syphilis. It can be made into salves as well to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema or infused in alcohol to make a tincture.
Oregon grape tea is said to aid in kidney issues and to treat frequent UTIs and digestive issues. According to the Lost Book of Herbal Remedies by Dr. Apelian & Claude Davis (Wild West history expert), Oregon grape roots have the following benefits:
- regulates blood sugar and metabolism
- lowers cholesterol
- has anti-parasite, anti-cancer properties
- contains ACE inhibitor and is used for Type 2 Diabetes, works similar to Metformin
- detoxify blood
- anti-viral, shown to act against herpes virus and the flu
- used to treat diarrhea and gastritis
The root and inner bark of the plant are also boiled to make a vibrant yellow dye, which is used to dye wool.
🍷 Oregon Grape Recipes
As mentioned earlier, these berries are much too tart to eat by the handfuls, although I can tolerate a few to snack on while I'm foraging. More often, they need to be mixed with sugar or honey to make them palatable. Here are a few Oregon grape recipes to try!
If you have other Oregon grape recipes, I'd love to know about them!
Disclaimer: The information in this post was gathered using various sources including two of my favorite foraging books, The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies and Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies. Do not over-consume. If you are allergic to plants in the berberidaceae family, do not consume at all. Pregnant or nursing women should not consume Oregon grape. Please do your own research and use caution when foraging and consuming any plant you are not familiar with. It is best to consult your doctor.
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Oregon grape berries are very tart and contain seeds. They are similar in taste to small unripened grapes and are sure to make your mouth pucker.
If you pick Oregon grape and discover they're not quite ripe, relax! Just place the berries in a bowl, on the counter, and they will ripen within a few days.
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Lianne says
Okay, so, I have only this week discovered these berries are apparently edible, and now I sit here with a bowl of these things, in water to wash off any dirt, and almost half of them float and the rest sinks. Do I throw out the floating ones, like with elderberries (the shiny black European ones anyway), or the opposite? Or neither, just sort manually? The floating ones overall look better than the sinking ones, and as I indicated, I'm completely unfamiliar with them still.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Lianne, The only ones I throw out are the ones that are either dried up or still green. Everything else can be used!
Kathy Fisher says
And, they make the forest floor beautiful...
Hilda Sterner says
Yes, indeed!