Monthly Archives: October 2015

Alaska Berry Wine

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

I was thinking about local berry farms and berry products, and here is one more way to use berries- – wine. Alaska Berry Wine I would be curious to try some of those, I’m typically thinking about grapes when I think of wine, but I guess there is nothing wrong in making it from other berries. Or (check this website) even rhubarb….

Leave a comment

Posted in Businesses, Wine, Liqueur

Cutting Propagation Experiments

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

What is the need for hormone treatments in vegetative propagation? Perhaps this article will help decide. The author surely can’t be all that bad. It has experiments with highbush cranberry, bog blueberry, and soapberry. Cutting propagation

Leave a comment

Posted in Blueberries (Vaccinium), Highbush cranberry (Viburnum), Propagation

Good Berry List for Alaska

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

As others have mentioned, the Cooperative Extension is a great resource for info about berries (and Alaskan-related recipes of all kinds).  They also have lots of info about growing things.  Check out the publication “Growing Tree and Bush Fruits in Alaska.”  This publication is from 2011, and so far the only Gooseberry variety that they recommend is Pixwell.  (I have tried a couple other varieties, but they were in a spot in the garden that had terrible drainage, so I pulled the plants and plan to try them again in 2016).  –Emily  Berries for Alaska

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Ancient huckleberries!

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Not where you would expect to find plant information but a piece of “history” nonetheless. Huckleberries (Gayluccacia)

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Bearberries

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

This should answer every question on Bearberrys known to man. Bearberries

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Video- strawberry ripening

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Here is a video that shows a time laps of a strawberry ripening and then dying. Quite elegant.   Strawberry ripening

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Raspberry Leaf Tea- herbal medicine

Posted on October 18, 2015 by | 1 comment

Raspberry Leaf Tea:

Raspberry leaf tea has been used for centuries as a folk medicine to treat canker sores, cold sores, and gingivitis in persons of all ages and anemia, leg cramps, diarrhea, and morning sickness in pregnant women, and as a uterine relaxant.

Once you’ve collected a decent amount of leaves, give them a quick rinse and dry them out. I use a dehydrator and just use the herb setting and check the leaves every so often to see if they are dried.

Once your leaves are completely dry, it’s time to break them up.  I like to process the leaves in batches, as needed, throughout the year.  Freshly broken leaves are more potent than leaves that have been left to sit for months on end, so only use enough for your immediate needs.

There are several methods for breaking up your raspberry leaves. I use a food processor, but use whatever you have.  Even your fingers will work.  Use a teaspoon or so of broken leaves in an 8 oz. cup of not quite boiling water and steep for 3-8 minutes.

I can’t wait for my tea, so I never can wait 8 minutes. Steep to suit your taste, and add some honey if you prefer a sweeter cup of tea.

Store your leaves out of direct sunlight in an airtight container such as a glass jar with lid.

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Alaska Gooseberry Club?

Posted on October 17, 2015 by | Leave a comment

This is an interesting article about gooseberries from a farm that is bringing them back.  Perhaps we need a Gooseberry Club in Alaska to reinvigorate the craze of years past.  Check out the picture of the world’s largest gooseberry!  Who’s up to the challenge? Gooseberries

Leave a comment

Posted in Gooseberries (Ribes)

Fruit Formation- Cloudberry (akpiq)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Here is a blog from Kotzebue, AK . The writer has a great series of  photos of a cloudberry or more appropriately, akpiq,  ripening.  Cloudberry ripening

Leave a comment

Posted in Cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus)

Variable Wild Harvests in Alaska

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Alaska Public Media recently reported on a study that invited Alaskans to report on the quality of their local berry harvests. The study “suggests that the harvests of several popular wild berries are becoming less reliable in many areas of the state.”

Further research is necessary to investigate what may or may not be causing this reported variability, but I have wondered often what sort of changes we might expect to see from berries due to the unseasonable weather we’ve experienced in recent years.

That being said, my picking spots provided ample highbush and alpine blueberries this year! We access them with boats and ample hiking, so picking pressure is low.

Leave a comment

Posted in Berry Harvesting, Foraging, Wild harvesting

Blueberry Seed Extraction

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Extract the seeds from berries. This is a simple statement – but not very clear to an amateur who has never done this either at home or in a lab. So of course, Google, comes to the rescue! I found this link from the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Maine which explains how to extract seeds from blueberries. This procedure could easily be done with other types of berries. Blueberry Seed Extraction

Leave a comment

Posted in Blueberries (Vaccinium), Propagation

Berry Shrub Recipe

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Summer may be over, but you can still enjoy a nice cold shrub.  Old fashioned drinks of all kinds are making a come-back, and a shrub is one that should be better known.  A shrub, also known as a drinkable vinegar, is a tart and sugary beverage made with berries and herbs.  This recipe has two parts–first make a sweet berry vinegar, then make a berry shrub: 4 qt. raspberries or strawberries, cleaned but not washed 2 qt. cider vinegar Add the vinegar to the berries (a gallon jar works well) and allow to stand for 24 hours.  Strain and measure the resulting liquid.  Add 1.5 lb sugar for each quart of liquid, and boil gently for 30 minutes.  Skim and allow to cool.  Pour into sterilized bottles and cap for future use in beverages. To prepare Berry Shrub, put 3 tablespoons of the vinegar into an iced tea glass, fill with ice, and add water or club soda.  Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve with a straw. Alaska Northwest Books. 1982. Alaska Wild Berry Guide & Cookbook. Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co, Seattle, WA.

Leave a comment

Posted in Recipes

Berry Picking and Politics in North Korea

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Here is an article about berry picking in North Korea and how politics can be very involved. A short interesting read.   Berry Picking North Korea

Leave a comment

Posted in Berry Harvesting

PIneberries in Alaska?

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Have you heard about Pineberry? This berry looks like strawberry, but it is white with red seeds! Apparently this is the oldest variety of strawberries. Originally strawberries were white in South America. Pineberry was saved from extinction by breeders working exclusively with VitalBerry BV when the original source material was discovered in Southern Europe. The breeders used this source material to cross it with an existing variety to improve the original pineberry. Read more: Pineberries

Leave a comment

Posted in Strawberries (Fragaria)

Berries as Dyes

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

I came across a posting on Facebook about a woman who used chokecherries to dye yarn and I searched a little further on the internet about how to go about dyeing yarn with berries. Here’s just one example of all the information you can find out there on how to use natural dyes like those found in berries to dye yarn and fabrics:    Berry Dyes Here is a Youtube video of the same process:  Dying Yarn with Berries

Leave a comment

Posted in Dyes from Berries

Alleycropping

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

A good read on alleycropping put out by the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry.  It includes definition, design, operation and maintenence, and success stories!   Alleycropping

Leave a comment

Posted in Garden Farm Culture

Hardy Kiwi in Alaska?

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Hardy Kiwi Has anyone tried growing hardy kiwi?  I recently purchased some that were grown in Oregon. They were pretty yummy and they lasted a long time in the fridge.   I think I’ve seen that these were being grown at the Botanical Garden in Anchorage and I know they were growing in at least one garden in Anchorage. Cornell University Department of Horticulture provides information on growing and propagating kiwi fruit here: Hardy Kiwi

Leave a comment

Posted in Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia)

Buzz Pollination

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

Bumblebees and buzz pollination make the NY times. This article reviews work scientists are doing to understand buzz pollination and how it and the flowers that rely on it evolved. It provides a good description of what buzz pollination is explaining that “Bees experience forces 30 times greater than gravity as they buzz for pollen — near the limit of human endurance.”  Buzz Pollination

Leave a comment

Posted in Pollination, Pollinators

Berry Antioxidants and Cancer

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

An interesting article from Scientific American–taking antioxidant supplements may make certain types of cancer grow faster.  Some very specific types of cancer cells are susceptible to attack by free radicals (melanoma is the biggest example).  Some studies have shown that antioxidant supplements can protect these cancer cells, in addition to the rest of the cells in the body.   Antioxidants and Cancer The take-away message should NOT be “Antioxidants cause cancer.”  The take-away message, I think, should be that if you are taking supplements and are diagnosed with certain types of cancers, stop taking supplements.  Continue to eat a normal healthy diet that contains whole foods with naturally-occurring antioxidants, but do not load up on extras.

Leave a comment

Posted in Health

Berry Mojito!

Posted on October 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

For after a long day of berry picking in the fall and you just need to sit back and relax while enjoying your labors.

Wild Berry Mojito

8 to 12 fresh mint leaves

3 to 4 fresh blackberries

3 to 4 fresh blueberries

3 to 4 fresh red raspberries

1/8 cup lime juice

2 to 4 tsp. of sugar

1-12 oz. glass of crushed ice

2 oz. light rum

1/4 cup soda water

1 fresh mint sprig (for garnish)

Directions:

Carefully press mint leaves into the bottom of the glass with the back of a wooden spoon to release their oils (do not tear leaves).

Mix mint, crushed wild berries, lime juice and sugar in a 12-ounce glass.

Fill glass with crushed ice.

Stir well until the ice is reduced by 1/3 and then top with more crushed ice, stirring until the glass begins to frost on the outside.

Pour in soda water and rum, stir again. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Recipe provided by Stacy McGuigan of Everyday Celebrations,www.ecpartyconcierge.com. Stacy is CEO of Everyday Celebrations, a local event planning business.

Leave a comment

Posted in Recipes