Uploads from Holdfast Alaska

Currently Playing: Foraging in Alaska | Birch & Cottonwood

Living in remote Alaska means living with the seasons. Much of our spring, summer and fall is spent gathering from the land — putting food up, making medicine, and preparing for the long winter ahead. Hunting and fishing are an important part of how we sustain ourselves, but so is the old tradition of wild foraging. From birch sap and cottonwood buds to mushrooms, berries, greens, pitch and medicinal plants, we gather large amounts throughout the season and process them using both traditional and practical homestead methods. Much of it is dried, canned, fermented, rendered, frozen or stored away to carry us through the winter months. As each season changes and different plants, trees, berries and mushrooms come into ripeness, we’ll be sharing how we find them, harvest them responsibly, process them, preserve them and use them here on our homestead. This new series is about more than foraging — it’s about self sufficiency, subsistence living, hard work, and staying connected to the rhythms of the land in Alaska. This season starts with the trees, birch and cottonwood. Til next week, -Dennis, Amy & Lena End Music By: @HawkenHorse, who wrote us "Holdfast". Frontier music and history. Become a Channel Member for homestead happenings: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdYB30EoOdp-syCtLF_mTgw/join Get in Touch with Us: Westerlind Family P.O Box 906, Slana, AK 99586 We are also on Instagram & FaceBook @holdfastalaska Support the Homestead if you wish | https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6B2249KCY6STE If you wish to be notified via email for future book releases, merch, or events shoot us a message at: holdfastfarmstead@gmail.com