Berries and Ice Cream.

Next week is going to be wonderful.  I am due to go out on the tundra with several other adults and high school students to spend three days camping.  Three wonderful days of camping.  I'll be away from work, well at least out of the building, away from the daily grind.

Not these

This year, we'll be going a couple miles along the river and then walk a few miles to the camp site along the bluff while the boats go the long way to the camp site.  I don't think we are going to have a race to get to the site because there are tons of berries along the way.  We'll just hand baggies to the kids to collect blackberries, blueberries and salmon berries.  I'll tell you right now, the blackberries out here do not resemble regular blackberries. They look kind of like blueberries but are black and about the same size.

Salmon or Cloud Berries

What they call salmon berries are actually cloud berries.  Cloud berries range from yellow to a deep salmon pink color.  I think they are called salmon berries because the color often resembles the color found on a salmon fish.

The berries will be used in Akutaq or Eskimo Ice Cream.  This is a dish that is not frozen, not made with milk or eggs.  It is made with fat, sugar, sometimes potatoes, water and the flavoring such as berries, greens, or tubulars.  The best is made by whipping the fat and sugar up with a bit of liquid so it is light and fluffy. Mashed potatoes are added to cut the grease and make it lighter.  We will add in the berries to make it a fruit concoction.

I know it sounds rather yucky with the fat but it is actually quite good and it looks kind of like a fruit salad with cool whip on it but the taste is mmmmm mmmmmm good!  There are other variations for making Akutaq but this is the best version.