PRESERVING BERRIES
Emma Nelson — Kincolith

Chokecherries and other berries used to be preserved in
pits. The berries were cooked by the pit method. (Refer to Pit
Cooking.) Toasted skunk cabbage leaves rather than timber
grass lined the pit. Berries were piled on top of the leaves almost
level with the ground and covered with a cedar mat. Hot rocks
were used and the berries cooked fifteen minutes before the

cover was removed. When cooked, the berries turn almost white.

The berries were transferred to another pit that had been
lined with toasted skunk cabbage Icaves. They were then covered
with additional skunk cabbage leaves, cedar bark mats, earth,
and stored until winter. The head of the household would dig
out the berries and take the first spoonful. It was said if this
person made a loud noise spitting out the leaves this was an
invitation for everyone else to join in.

WILD CRABAPPLES IN EULACHON GREASE
Florence Burton — Kincolith

1. Boil until tender (about 15 minutes):
] pail of wild crabapples,
whole and unpeeled

Dry ona clean towel. Cool.

With clean hands in a large bowl beat together:
4 cups eulachon grease
2 cups cold water

4. When the fat and water mixture has a mayonnaise-like .

appearance, put the dried apples in the fat mixture.
Mix with the hands.

6. Pile into large tins that have been lined with skunk cabbage
leaves. The skunk cabbage leaves have been prepared by
the following method:

(a) Boil the skunk cabbuge leaves two minutes until
soft.

(b) Dry the leaves in the sun for half an hour.
(c) Line the tins.
(d) Cover the crabupple-eulachon grease mixture in the
tins with a board. Store ina cool place.
To Serve

Scoop oul the crabappie-grcuse mixture with the hands and
sprinkle sugar on top.
TREE BARK
Cecelia McNab = Deudman’s Creek
The people of the Interior often used birch bark to wrap

food for storage. The food was placed on the inner side of the
bark. The bark was warmed over a fire until it softened and

could be folded over the food.

The inner bark of young maple bushes was used to tie the
bundles of food. The strands of bark were obtained by removing
bark from young maple bushes when the sap was running. The
inner side of this bark was scraped in one continuous motion
yielding a long string. This string could also be used with the
sharpened shin bone of a deer as a needle, to thread vegetables
together for steaming in the pits.

LO