Farm to School Month – Week Five: Indigenous Food Focus
Salmonberry/Cloudberry Day!!
Many thanks go out to Melissa Chlupach, Regional Healthcare Dietitian with NANA Management
Services, for all her help with all the information she has provided me for each Wednesday this month
celebrating Indigenous Foods We Eat! All information I have listed below is based on the materials she
has passed along. Thank you, Melissa!!
SALMONBERRY/CLOUDBERRY
Let’s learn about salmonberries and cloudberries today!!
Why take a whole day to look at these two berries? Well, whether you are in Southcentral, the Kenai, or
the Southeast Alaska and pick high bush salmonberries or live in Northern or Western Alaska and pick
low bush salmonberries (cloudberries), you know how healthy and delicious these little berries can be!!
The Roots of Salmonberry/Cloudberry History
• Both of these berries are members of the rose (Rosaceae) family and one or the other is found
all around Alaska.
• Even though the some of the colors and shape of these berries are similar and they are in the
same family, these two berries grow and taste very different.
• All Alaska wild berries, have high levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants are a group of
physiologically active compounds that work to neutralize free radicals (molecules with unpaired
electrons).
• Historical references document early use of cloudberries to prevent and treat scurvy as well as
the medicinal use of the roots and leaves of the plant.
• Both berries are considered an important food of the Alaska Native people as sources rich in
vitamins A and C.
Let’s Move into the Science of Salmonberries and Cloudberries
Pronunciation: ˈsæmənˌbɛri and klaʊd ˌbɛri
Yup’ik name: atsalugpiaq
Iñupiaq name: aqpik
Sugt’stun name: alagnaq aqagwik
Unangam Tunuu name: alagnan algnan
Tlingit name: was’x’aan tléigu néx’w
Family: Rosaceae (both)
Genus: Rubus (both)
Species: R. spectabilis (Salmonberry)
R. chamaemorus (Low-bush Salmonberry or Cloudberry)
The salmonberry plant is related to the raspberry, nagoonberry, wild
strawberry, thimbleberry and cloudberry. Do not confuse
salmonberries with cloudberries, sometimes referred to as lowbush
salmonberries.
Salmonberries can be found in moist, coastal regions of Southeast,
Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. The berries grow on woody
shrubs up to seven feet high; the tall, thorny stalks grow on stream
banks and alpine slopes, in moist coastal meadows and in avalanche
chutes. The leaves are made up of three-toothed leaflets up to five inches long. The rosy-purple flowers
have five petals and are solitary on the stalk. Each flower produces a salmonyellow or red fruit similar in
appearance to large raspberries; yellow, orange and red berries may all be seen on a single plant.
The small, rosy peach-colored Rubus chamaemorus L. is known in Alaska by several common names —
lowbush salmonberry, aqpik, baked apple berry and cloudberry. However, cloudberry is the name most
often used throughout North America and in international botanical references. This berry grows almost
exclusively in circumpolar regions and is prized in cultures and cuisines in Scandinavia, Russia, Canada
and throughout Alaska.
Though related botanically to red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) and
salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), the cloudberry plant most closely
resembles another highly sought arctic berry, nagoonberry (Rubus
arcticus L.). In contrast to the prickly, tall canes of raspberries and
salmonberries, cloudberries grow on very slender stems not more
than two to eight inches high in boggy, open tundra and forest. Each
stem has two to three circular leaves with rounded lobes and
toothed edges and a single white, five-petaled flower. The berry is composed of six to eight drupelets,
forming a small roundish berry. Unripe cloudberries are hard, sour and red; as the berries ripen, they
soften, sweeten and lighten to a rosy peach or amber hue.
Where Do Salmonberries and Cloudberries Live?
Salmonberries are found in moist forests and stream margins, especially in the coastal forests. They
range from Southcentral to the Kenai Peninsula and Southeast Alaska.
Cloudberries inhabit bogs, tundra, and open forests in Northern and Western Alaska.
Reasons to Eat Salmonberries and Cloudberries
1 cup of raw berries provides:
• A source of fiber.
• An excellent source of vitamin A (Salmonberry) as well as vitamin C (Cloudberry).
• A heart friendly food low in fat.
Some Great Salmonberry and Cloudberry Facts
• Fresh salmonberry shoots, flowers and leaves, and berries are all edible.
o The shoots can be eaten raw or added to dishes and stir fried.
The flowers can be added to salads or used to make teas. – The flowers should be
o
used fresh or completely dried. When partially dried they can be mildly toxic.
• The most common theory about how salmonberries got their name is based on their
resemblance to the color of salmon eggs, but one Chinook legend tells how Coyote had to put
salmonberries in the mouth of each salmon he caught in order to have continued luck with
fishing.
• Cloudberries are called by many different names depending on where you are:
o In Newfoundland and Labrador, it is cloudberry or bakeapple.
o In England, it is knotberry or knoutberry.
o In Alaska, it is low-bush salmonberry or all the native language names.
o In Scotland, it is averin or evron.
• When a few hard (unripe) salmonberries (cloudberries) are mixed with ripe berries, the ones
picked too early will turn black and be no good. Stories warning of picking salmonberries too early
were often told to teach children, newcomers, and greedy people when to pick salmonberries.
This would ensure that some berries were left behind for late pickers, or to be given back to the
earth for the next season.
Let’s eat . . .
Salmonberry Topping
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients Amount
Salmonberries 2 cups
Lemon juice 1 teaspoon
Honey 2 Tablespoons
Sugar, granulated ½ cup
Water 2 Tablespoons
1. In a medium saucepot, combine all ingredients. Place over medium heat on the stove and bring
to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Take off heat and let cool. You can smash them to make them a jam consistency,
mash through a wire strainer to make it a syrup, or leave them whole with the sweet juice.
2. To serve, place on items, such as pancakes, ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream.
Yummy Goodness and Tasty Tips!!
• Mid summer through early falltime is the time to harvest depending on location and elevation.
• Harvesting should be done by hand due to the soft nature of the berries.
• Salmonberries may be red or orange when ripe and the fruit has a sweet tart flavor and is
related to the raspberry – the taste is very different than cloudberry.
• Salmonberries are a good source of pro-vitamin A and a good source of vitamin C.
• Because they are fragile, salmonberries should be handled as little as possible. Unless they are
exceptionally dusty, do not wash. Pick through the berries to remove any leaves or debris. For
best flavor, eat the raw berries the same day they are picked.
• Salmonberries may be stored in the refrigerator for a brief period of time. They will not keep
well more than two to three days. Store cleaned berries in a shallow container to prevent
crushing. Place the covered container in the refrigerator.
• The berries are great for jams, pies, syrups, Eskimo ice cream, or just eaten by themselves.
• Cloudberry plants bear a single berry.
• When ripe, cloudberries have a beautiful golden color.
• Cloudberries can be prepared in pies, jellies, and syrups. Traditionally, they are eaten with sugar
and seal oil after a meal. They are best stored frozen, or preserved with other foods, such as
blackberries, nagoonberries, or sour dock leaves.
• Cloudberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, containing more than twice the amount per
serving than a glass of orange juice and more than any other Alaska berry.
• With their naturally high benzoic acid content, cloudberries may keep without spoiling or
fermenting for longer than expected. However, for best flavor and keeping quality, pick
cloudberries at their peak ripeness and either eat or preserve the same day that they are picked.
• Handle the soft cloudberries gently and as little as possible. Unless they are exceptionally dusty,
do not wash. Pick through the berries to remove any leaves or debris. Refrigerate cleaned
berries in a shallow container.
• Spread berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. When frozen, transfer
berries to freezer bags or containers. Properly frozen berries will last up to two years.
