Time To Harvest Wild Berries Of Alaska

byFKelso

3.5K followers

4 years ago

It's fall harvest season, when farmers reap the gains for all their hard labor. In Alaska, this time of year is also an important time for doing wild harvesting. The berries are ready! We must gather now if we wish to preserve jellies, jams and sauces, and even some frozen berries for the coming winter.

This post is dedicated to a new member, Shirljw. Shirl, a fellow Alaskan, reminded me yesterday that this important time of year has arrived. She said she was making slow progress in WA at present because she was picking berries in preparation for winter.

Native people and people who live on the Alaskan land develop this sense -- a kind of internal clock -- that tells them when it is time to harvest their wild crops. It's something that must be done when the crop is ready -- not before; not after

Shirl said she's gathering lowbush cranberries. Ah, what memories that statement brought me. When I lived on Spruce Island, my group of fellow plant enthusiasts, known colloquially as "Plants Class" had the timetable down.

When it was time to gather a certain berry, we went out as a group or by ourselves and harvested until we had the amount we wanted.

Lowbush cranberries are favorites of mine. We learned to call them "lingonberries." This name was a way to distinguish them from the other lowbush cranberry.

There are two types of wild lowbush cranberries here. Lingonberry is part of the Vaccinium genus, the same group that includes wild blueberries. The other lowbush cranberry is actually part of the same genus as commercial cranberries: Oxycoccus.

These Oxycoccus berries grow on a slender vine that lays flat atop the sphagnum humps. The lingonberries grow on a small upright evergreen plant. Leaf edges turn under; the leaf is dark green on top and grey-green underneath. Plants range from a couple of inches high to about eight inches.

Actually, not all lingonberries grow in bogs. I've been on Pillar Mountain in Kodiak or in open wooded areas, where the plants might grow from six to eight inches tall, with berries thick and red, crying, "Pick me! Pick me!"

The two types of lowbush berries taste very similar and can be combined in one batch. They contain natural pectin, so thickener does not have to be added when preparing them.

You brought back such memories, Shirl! To pick cranberries from my favorite bog on Spruce Island, I needed a collection bucket, rubber boots, and good knees.

It's at least damp and sometimes downright wet around these sphagnum humps, which rise from the bog like small steep-sided mountains with a moat around them. Therefore, squatting is the best position for gathering.

Finding a hummock thick with small plants and shiny red berries was such a treat. I have a theory that women who like to gather berries are fulfilling their female craving to collect and possess shiny objects. Picking these round jewels could be considered a way of satisfying that urge.

And the enjoyment later, when cold and snow are our outdoor companions... I believe when you open and taste a jar of such wild delight, you can taste a bit of the zing of the day when they were gathered.

There is an analogy between berry-picking and WA, by the way. Picking berries reminds us that everything has its season. Just as the farmer plants seeds and waits for them to germinate and grow, Nature proceeds in the same manner. One must wait until the plant is mature before harvesting.

In our business, we plant our seeds of desire. Then we cultivate as best we can to ensure that our "crop" grows well. We allow it to grow until we receive a good crop of results. Once our business is growing well, it will bring us a harvest of sales.

With business as with anything we plan, it is important to allow enough time for the germination process to develop. Unfortunately, it is harder to measure how much time is needed in our business. Unlike the seed, an idea may grow faster or slower. We must simply nurture and cultivate it until it bears fruit.

Then what a harvest we will have!