Low Bush Cranberries

We went and found some low bush cranberries on the tundra a few days ago, right before the first snow storm of the year hit Dillingham.

Kiley kicked up a fuss about wearing warm clothes, and I had to practically hold Sis down to even get clothes on her- so it was like herding cats to get both of the girls dressed appropriately, the dogs in the truck and down the road on time.

It was worth the hassle, it was a day you really look forward to out on the tundra- sunshine, wind and no bugs! We were pleasantly surprised with a nice afternoon looking for berries.

We met my friend Nicole and her two boys Logan and Lane and we must have picked for over an hour-we definitely could have picked for a lot longer than that!
I've always been told that low bush cranberries are at their best after the first frost, and we had definitely had at least one that left ice in our puddles. So I figured the berries were at their best- and I must say they were juicy and so gorgeous! What pretty berries, whish is a little weird to say unless you really like them, but these berries were such a very pretty dark red that I couldn't pick enough.

I ended up picking about a quart, not a lot, but enough for me to make a batch of muffins that the kids loved. Kiley helped some and Kalin helped too... but she was more intererested in finding blueberries and then "just trying" the berries in my bucket. Nicole got the rest of what we picked for a special liqueur she was planning on making... maybe she'll share.