Edible Alaska

Deer Heart

• Photo by Bjorn Dihle

  Deer heart grows with lowbush blueberry, crowberry, and false dogwood in the bog where Dihle dropped a buck.

• Photo by Bjorn Dihle

  The author's sons amidst deer heart on a berry picking mission.

• Photo by Bjorn Dihle

  The deer heart greens (Maianthemum dilatatum) cushioning the fall of this buck are also known as false lily-of-the-valley. Find recipes for using the plant in the Spring 2021 issue of Edible Alaska.

• Photo by Bjorn Dihle

  The heart of a game animal is often the first meat eaten after a successful hunt. Heart is tender and can take a lot of cooking without losing its good texture.

• Photo by Bjorn Dihle

  Cuts of meat that are too tough or too small to be used on their own can be ground and frozen for burger.