apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Growing up in Alaska, we had berries all over the place. When fall came it was all about the blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries that were willing to take over our yard if we had let them. I remember going out each year (just about the time of the annual fair) and going berry picking. We had to bring bells with us to warn off the black bears (small and typically herbivores who were more afraid of us than we of them. but still - bear.) would forage in the same places we would.

With respect to meat, we'd eat salmon, moose (takes just like beef, but leaner. Definitely more like beef than like venison), and caribou (tastes like venison). Every once in a while we'd have bear or bison. I think Alaskans have access to the best salmon in the world...some of which isn't really available to folks who live outside of the state (fishing in those rivers are restricted to AK residents and commercial fishing isn't allowed).

I grew up in Fairbanks, though, which is the second largest city in the state...so we had many grocery stores available and pretty much all of the typical food stuffs available. What's more interesting is the diet of those who live in the 'bush' - places only accessible by plane, snowmachine, mushing, or boat.

One more thing -- the growing season in Alaska is a bit odd. It's short - it's cold until relatively late into the spring/summer and winter comes soon (snow is already on the ground in Fairbanks). So you only have about four and a half months of really decent growing time (mid may to beginning of october). But there is also 24 hour daylight in the summertime, which makes for a weirdly short yet long growing season. Things that need dark - like corn - don't grow so well. But varieties of squash and gourds and melons grow like gangbusters. Tomatoes are hard to grow because they take so long to mature (though you can start them early in a greenhouse and they'll work a bit better).

And then one worry for the gardener is that you have to scare off not only the hares but also the moose...which are just a wee bit more dangerous than the more rodent-like garden thieves. :)

Yeah, my sister, when she lived in Alaska, had a real hard time gardening because the moose kept getting her veggies. They're very fond of broccoli apparently.