It is salmon fishing season – to have healthy food from the ocean and rivers. The first greens I usually pick are fireweed soots.
I went for a drive to Seward several weeks ago to see about snagging salmon and gathered interesting eatable wild greens.
I saw these sea weeds the first night and had to try a taste of one. It was little crunchy and had a nutty taste – the greens that herring fish lay eggs to spawn.
Willow was once frozen and covered with snow and snow slowly melted bringing life to green. Before Seward trip I drove up to Fairbanks to gather wild rhubarb and willow leaves.
These wild strawberries were blooming about the same time as our Salmon berries, if these warm days keep coming.
Trails may lead you or you may lead off the trails and not by a shadow of doubt. Off trail is good to find your way thru the brushes like in the old days when a Yupiaq girl became a woman, she had to walk thru thick bushes 🍃. Among the trees on the Parks Highway I picked little bit of fiddle heads to fry.
I love to pick the wild rhubarbs every year to share with friends and family for dessert after a hearty meal.
I am teaching a Yupiaq Women’s ciivalek piluguq making class to 10 students thru the generous support from The CIRI Foundation (TCF), the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) thru a program called Alaska Native Artist Leaders: ARTShop 2021! Quyana for your support to be able to share what I’ve learned in making piluguq. We started our classes online and in person while working and during this busy harvesting summer season. It’s been exciting to take part in this program for myself and the participants. (Stay tune for more information)
The above picture is a mix of picked Alaskan greens; sea weed, sea lavage, willow leaves and beach greens.
First week of June I hung a seed tag on this fish rack after the ceremony at the old Alaska Native hospital, when the ground was blessed by the First Indigenous People of this area, Dena’ina. There were some stories of heartache and healing spoken on this area. Now new growth will begin from planting of new seeds. Quyana my friend for invite 🍃.
Tuingunrituq🌸❤️😃
Nasek'taq 