Cloudberry Sea

At the height of summer, the tundra on the Bering Sea coast from northwest to southwest Alaska is bejeweled with cloudberries nearly bursting with sweet juice and large seeds. Our footsteps release the resinous aromas of Labrador tea that grows alongside the berries. Cloudberry’s dreamy smooth texture blends the tart zing of citrus into creamy sweetness.

We share the tundra with clouds of mosquitos who pollinate the flowers. The best weather for picking aqpik (Inupiaq) is when there is a breeze.

Atsat, atsalugpiat, aqevyik, and naunrat stretch as far as the eye can see on Yup’ik homelands in Southwest Alaska. This berry has distinct names, depending on which Yugtun dialect is spoken in the area.

Rubus chamaemorus is found throughout the circumpolar north.

Cloudberries ripen when the salmon are running in western and northern Alaska, so many people call them salmonberries. Cloudberries and blueberries are ready at the same time and are picked together. Sunset colors glow in the sky and in the berry bucket.

First published in Edible Alaska Summer 2024.