Blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium) Ripe Early!

Observation: The blueberries are ripe early around Nome. People have been picking in some areas for a week already.

LEO says: There were a few related past posts of early blueberries. Starting in the southwest part of Alaska in Mountain Village, early June (6/2/16) the community noticed the berries were beginning to grow a bit, normally the plant would be ready for picking by the end of June into early July. The following day (6/3/16) on Baranof Island in Sitka folks were mentioning how ripe and sweet-tasting the blueberries were. During a morning stroll (6/8/16 in Fort Wrangle a father and son noticed the ripe blueberries were ready for harvest, so early in the season. Mountain Village, (7/6/16) the blueberries were earlier this year including the salmonberries. M. Tcheripanoff

LEO Comment: LEO Network is hosting in collaboration with USGS an annual survey about berry harvest in Alaska. If you are a berry harvester you are welcome to participate in our LEO Berry Assessment. See also the published report, How are your berries? Perspectives of Alaska’s environmental managers on trends in wild berry abundance. (J. Hupp et al.)

Video: View this short-video produced in the Metlakatla Indian Community of Alaska titled, Berry Fruit Leather:: METLAKATLA :: Store Outside Your Door. In this short 6:22 minute video, Metlakatla's Naomi Leask teaches us how to make fruit leather out of local berries! This Southeast Alaska community has a berry bounty each year. You can try this recipe with local berries from your area. Berries are rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants (great for heart and brain health). The video was published on September 8, 2015 by The Store Outside Your Door project, an ANTHC Wellness and Prevention initiative to promote the knowledge and use of traditional foods and traditional ways.