My Baby Experience

Here in Alaska, early fall is berry-picking time! We missed the season for cloud/salmon berries, which was at the end of summer. But we made up for it with tons of wild arctic blueberries. The road out to the tundra where we pick berries has some of the most beautiful views too.

What beautiful scenery!

They were a bit too sour in August, but by early to mid-September they were ripe for picking. We went out to the tundra on the weekends if the weather was good, and we picked until our fingers were blue.

Do you see our town in the distance? It was a nice day for a walk to the tundra.

Wild blueberries grow all over the tundra here. So it was just a short walk from town before we found some good patches of them.

While I picked berries up on the hill, Jonathan and Anneliese played by the creek down below.

I was surprised to find out that blueberries grow near the ground, since I have only picked farm grown blueberries that grow on big bushes. Here in the arctic everything is dwarfed and the tundra is filled with thick ground covering bushes and spongy moss.

Anneliese loved helping her mommy pick blueberries, but it was hard for her to keep her footing on the spongy tundra.

All of that tundra hiking and berry picking was exhausting! Anneliese passed out on our walk home. It might have been hard finger-staining work, but it was also relaxing at the same time. We all had fun picking berries on the tundra.

These blueberries are so tiny, it takes a while to get a bag full of them.

Now we have about two gallons of blueberries, which is equal in strength to four gallons of store bought blueberries. (Wild blueberries have a much stronger flavor, so you have to use half the normal amount when mixing them in recipes.) My favorite recipe for these blueberries are homemade pancakes, but they are good to add in so many different recipes.

If I have put you in a blueberry mood, here are some recipes to get you going. These made from scratch blueberry pancakes are delicious and I absolutely love these blueberry muffins.

Yummy Berry Smoothie

• 1 Handful of Frozen Blueberries
• 1 Cup of Frozen Strawberries
• 1 Scoop of Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
• 1/2 Cup of Any Nut Butter or a Scoop of Whey Protein Powder
• 1 Cup of Low Fat Milk (more or less for desired consistency)

Blend until smooth. If you are feeling mischievous, you can add a dollop of whipped cream to the top. Do you have any awesome blueberry recipes you would like to share? I have a freezer full of blueberries and could use some suggestions!

Melainie (199 Posts)

Author Bio: As a new mother, I wanted to know everything I could about parenting but it was difficult to sift through the web for real experiences and motherly knowledge on parenting. I hoped to make My Baby Experience an informative site for all those who are expecting or are parents themselves. Whenever I find good resources for us parents, I try to share them so we can all benefit. I hope you enjoy and contribute!

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