Category Archives: Uncategorized

I had never heard of bearberries before this class. I wanted to learn more so I did some searching and found this nice USDA fact sheet with a nice photo of the leaves:  Bearberries

Here is something new.  A berry picking story book.  Wild Berries by Julie Flett and Earl N. Cook as translator.

ISBN: 978-1897476895

Wild Berries 

When I was writing about the possible option of greenhouse for growing strawberries in this week assignment, I was wondering what do people do about pollinators for the greenhouses? Do you always have to have a beehive for greenhouse if your plants are not selfpollinated? Could you just open sides of it (somehow) and will it be enough for pollinators to fly in, especially here in Alaska? Could you somehow attract pollinators to get in greenhouse? I saw somw ideas of electrical pollinators, but it looks like a lot of work for any decent size greenhouse….

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

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

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.

Here is a short summary of USDA ARS research on raspberry flowering and pollination. The bottom line? Know your origin! Wild raspberries are partly or wholly self incompatible; cultivated ones are self fertile and even may have apomictic seeds meaning pollination is not even necessary.Raspberry Pollination

Climate change is something that has influenced and will continue to affect berry habitats. The EPA has a slide deck regarding an Alaska project on this subject, “Impacts of Climate Change on Health Benefits of a Tribal Alaskan Resource: Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge With Risk Assessment Through Local Monitoring.” Some great photos and interesting survey results: Climate Change Effects in Alaska

Whether your berry’s pests are plant, insect or disease – these folks can help you out:IPM . You’re also helping others by using this site as you can help identify trends in Alaska.

We are slowly incorporating as many types of edible plants into our yard as we can. One of our newest editions is our three seaberry bushes. We purchased two female plants and one male plant because this species is dioecious. Seaberries are sometimes called Sea-buckthorn with the botanical name of Hippophae rhamnoides. I was intrigued after reading in a One Green World seed catalog enticing tidbits such as “very high in vitamin C” and “extremely hardy.” This is the second year for ours in the ground and were pleasantly surprised to find berries on them in August. A little bit of internet research led me to this interesting site with a lot of information on the Sea-buckthorn: http://www.seabuckthorninsider.com/. A few things mentioned on this side are the seeming multitude of health benefits as well as growing and harvesting techniques. All in all, I think these three plants are an interesting addition to our Alaskan micro-habitat.

References:

One Green World. 2014. Seaberry. https://www.onegreenworld.com/Sea%20Berry/397/. Accessed online 25 September 2015.

Sea-Buckthorn Insider. 2014. Sea-Buckthorn trees. http://www.seabuckthorninsider.com/education/sea-buckthorns-trees/. Accessed online 25 September 2015.