Subsistence

A huge part of life in Alaska in the summer is Subsistence- meaning hunting, fishing, gathering- utilizing all the amazing food that grows naturally here in the summer.  I was talking to a friend about this- it is amazing that a place that is so barren and cold for a good portion of the year (winter on the tundra is no joke!) can produce such amazing food in ridiculously huge numbers.  Rivers that are just exploding with salmon.  Millions of berries ready to be picked.  I was told that scientists have done research and the food that Alaska produces in the summer has SIGNIFICANTLY more vitamins and nutrients compared to foods grown in other places.  And the people who live here utilize all of it.  Also, this is the time of year when we have longer daylight hours and all that time is utilized to hunt, gather and fish.  

I just came back from a staff training/planning time in western Alaska.  We had business meetings all day and did subsistence well into the night.  I mean we would be on the river fishing until 11:30 or later and it was still broad day light.  A friend called me up one night asking if I wanted to go berry picking- we started at 10:30pm and picked until dark (nearly 1am).  These are my kind of social/community activities- you are together with a group of people and you are working towards a common goal- but none of these activities require a lot of talking or athletic ability.  But you are still doing all this together.  It is some great quality time spent with others- and it was a great way for me to get to know my teammates better.

I loved berry picking- Alaska has some unique berries that I had never seen before!  Ever heard of Salmon Berries?? I don't know how to describe the flavor- they look like an orange raspberry but they have a flavor all their own.  There are Black berries (not like the blackberries in the Lower 48), a few tiny raspberries, cranberries and of course tundra blue berries.  Those are FABULOUS!! They are tiny and grow very low to the ground- it takes a ton to fill a bucket but they are so tasty! 

We had to be a bit careful of bears- this is Alaska and bears and moose are always a possibility, but this year there was a forest fire about 7 miles from the camp we were staying at- and that fire had pushed a lot of the wildlife closer to the camp.  We saw lots of bear tracks- adult and cub- and there were a few bear sightings (not by me!) but we were careful and didn't have a problem.  That's why you go out on the tundra in a group!  More eyes to look for bears and more noise to keep them away! 

All of this is fun- being outside, enjoying nature- but its also hard work!  Hours spent gathering food and then you have to process it! Berries are pretty easy- freeze or can them.  Fish is gutted, filleted, dried or smoked by the hundreds- everyone on the river or at fish camps had a little outbuilding with a roof over poles with hundreds of fish drying on them.  Different salmon are processed differently- Humpy Salmon are for Dry Fish, Silver Salmon are for Strips (brined, smoked and dried). Silvers are also frozen or smoked).  While satisfying, every activity is labor intensive.  No one wants to waste the daylight or the food available as winter is coming!   One village elder told me that they can be lazy in the winter- summer is for work! 

Even Fireweed flower blossoms are harvested and turned into jelly!  I spent time gathering blossoms with a few friends- 8 cups of blossoms will make 3 pints of jelly (so we gathered a TON).    Fireweed Jelly sure is good though!