Alaska berries and plants

Originally published in the Ketchikan Daily News, July 2008; written by Tammy Dinsmore

I have picked the last of the wild strawberries that grow in my yard and I am hopeful that the Salmonberries will soon be ripe enough to pick along with the red huckleberries and of course the blueberries. The University of Alaska, Fairbanks Cooperative Extension has put out several publications (many of which are available here at the library) to help identify, use and preserve the berries that grow wild here in Alaska.

According to the publication “Alaska Berries”, “Berries can supply nearly all the food values of larger fruits which have to be imported. Even oranges and other citrus fruits could be replaced dietetically by proper use of local berries and berry juices.” That’s good news!

Ok, so now that you have a big bowl full of delicious ripe berries, what do you do with them? “Collecting and Using Alaska’s Wild Berries and Other Wild Products” has information on harvesting, storage and the preservation of Alaskan wild berries along with recipes for beverages, jams and jellies, syrups, honeys, and fruit leather. Drying instructions are also included for some of the berries. The strawberry jam I made from one of their recipes turned out pretty tasty so I am looking forward to trying out some of the other recipes in this book.

If you are interested in more than berries, check out the Cooperative Extension’s “Wild Edible and Poisonous Plants of Alaska”. Each entry has a black and white drawing of the plant and then a written description along with habitat and preparation. The chapter on Leaves comes first and is followed by Fruits, Roots, Underground stems, Stems, Shoots, Inner Bark, Entire Plants, Edible Plants for emergency use and last, but certainly not least, a chapter on Poisonous Plants.