Fall Berries
Kachemak Currents is a podcast and radio segment produced weekly by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. This segment originally aired on KBBI public radio (AM 890) on September 18, 2024, and was written and recorded by our Community Liaison and Wellness Specialist, Joscie Norris. For more episodes of Kachemak Currents or to listen live, visit KBBI online.
Welcome to Kachemak Currents, brought to you by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.
At this time of changing leaf color, narrowing daylight, and the nearing frost, numerous red berries are ripening in the meadows, wetlands, and forest understory. Today we are going to dive into the neat natural history and uses of red fall fruits, such as rose hips, bog cranberry, lingonberry, red current, and high bush cranberry.
Berries need the sun and sugars to redden. Starting on the side with the most sunlight, the chlorophyl reduces and pigments like anthocyane take its place. Anthocyane is responsible for the red, purple, and blue in berries like blueberries, crowberries, and cranberries, as well as reddish-purple plant leaves. This compound also protects the plants from UV damage like a layer of sunblock. Plants with orange and yellow colors, like carrots, cloudberries, and yellow birch leaves, get their color from carotenoid pigments instead.
Rose hips on the bushes at Coastal Studies Headquarters. As the leaves turn yellow, the rose hips turn bright red–sure signs of autumn.
Most of these berries become sweet and soft after the first frost, making them more tasty. This process is the same for vegetables, like carrots and broccoli, that taste more mild in cooler weather. Increased sugar in fruit is like antifreeze. When temperatures drop, the starches are broken down into sugar to help them protect against the cold. Adding sugar, which replaces water, might strengthen the cell walls and prevent frozen water from bursting them. This makes them more durable, and protects them from decay–just like adding sugar to jam to preserve it. In this process, the acidic flavor of berries, like the tartness of cranberries, is reduced. And even as the added sugar is protecting the fruits, the frost inevitably softens their skins, making them messier to pick. Although they sweeten some, they are still tart, like the cranberry type berries, and this acidic-ness is an added layer of defense against disease and insects.
Just like the wildlife that appreciate these delicacies, you might also want to enjoy or save these berries…
A small basket freshly harvested Nagoon berries from Inspiration Ridge Preserve. Photo by Nina Faust.
Snow and cold temperatures continue to preserve these berries through the winter and into the spring for later eating. In the fall they are important for hibernators like bears, migratory animals like birds, and year-round animals like grouse, fox, and voles. Throughout the winter, some animals continue to eat the fruits–but rarely–and in the spring when the fruits are exposed again, they remain a critical food source for hungry animals. These creatures then return the favor by spreading the seeds in their droppings and scat, to help the plants spread and reproduce.
Just like the wildlife that appreciate these delicacies, you might also want to enjoy or save these berries. First, learn how to identify dangerous look-alikes like baneberry, devils club, and elderberry, which can cause sickness or death. Then consider your surroundings–roadside chemicals, nearby poisonous plants, and dog activity. To steward these plants, remember to harvest with respect and take only what you need, a good rule of thumb is no more than 10% to leave plenty for wildlife.
Rosehips dry nicely to add to teas, but used fresh in jams or infused in raw honey retains their high amounts of vitamin C; good for your immune system! The cranberry-type plants–high bush and bog cranberry, and lingonberries–all freeze well and can be made into jams or sauces. You might experiment with drying them or adding to baked goods, like muffins.
This is Joscie Norris, and this has been Kachemak Currents. Brought to you by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, which has been connecting you with the nature of Kachemak Bay through education and stewardship for 40 years.