Ripe Blueberries (Vaccinium ovalifolium) In June!

Observation: On our morning walk my son and I noticed ripe blue berries. This is very early for us, normally we we start seeing blue berries in mid July.

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. Going back a couple of years in southcentral Alaska in Seldovia the berries were ready for the picking by early July (7/10/14), easily a month ahead of schedule for that region of the state. M. Tcheripanoff

Resource: 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.