Part 1: FUN with Cranberries
Autumn Is The Time To Harvest & FALL Head Over Heels For Delicious Seasonal Foods!
By Jennifer Kehoe, Wildharvesting & Subsistence Contributor

A small sprinkle of high-bush cranberries in the autumn Interior sunshine.

When bright green Alaska foliage starts to turn yellow, the pumpkins orange and the rolling tundra a deep rosy pink, we know that summer has come to an end. Fall has now passed us by as well, and judging by the snow-capped mountains in Anchorage and sub-zero temperatures, winter is swiftly on the horizon. Let us cozy up to the fire with friends and family, enjoy the glorious golden sunshine as it recedes into darkness and prepare our favorite autumn foods as we begin our yearly hibernation: Moose, caribou, lingering garden greens and herbs, salmon, pumpkins and wild berries!

Low-bush cranberry galore, and as fresh as they come.

Chutneys, sauces, jams and other acidic fruit preserves are a refreshingly tart way to brighten up a winter meal. I happened to find myself with 5 gallons of low-bush cranberries, handpicked and straight from the Interior. Check out one of my favorite ways to prepare the berries and then try your own experiments. Whether polka-dotted in a sourdough pancake mix or pressed into a potent juice of phytonutrients, fresh Alaskan wildharvested low-bush cranberries are a culinary delight.

Recipe: White Chocolate Chip & Alaska Cranberry Gluten-Free Pancakes

Good Morning Alaska, your food awaits you.

Have ready…
-white chocolate chips and AK cranberries to your liking
-butter on the cast iron pan, medium heat
-REAL Maple Syrup (or Birch) and some plain yogurt for dipping
-A cold (brrr!) weekend brunch appetite

 Mix wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl
-1 Tablespoon pure, real vanilla extract (maybe you like almond extract, agave nectar or coconut oil better?)
-A pinch or two or three of brown sugar (to your liking, but if you already know you are going to drench the pancakes in syrup this may not be necessary)
-2 eggs
-2 cups total, of milk, plain yogurt, soy milk, etc. I used 1.5 cups of milk and .5 cups of yogurt

Whisk by hand until mixture begins to get light and airy, fluffy and bubbly; we want soft pancakes!

Add in dry ingredients while mixing batter until smooth. But not too much because remember, we want soft pancakes! Over mixing may strengthen your arm muscles but it also makes the batter tough.
- 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flour
- 3/4 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour
- 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour (yes, it tastes like fresh bean sprouts)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to your liking
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Have your cast iron or griddle heated up on medium heat with some butter melted onto it; if you drop a spoonful of batter onto the pan and it sizzles, the pan is ready!

Drop 1/4 to 1/2 cup amounts of batter onto pan, depending on desired pancake size. They will spread out a little bit. If the batter is too thick and doesn’t move, add a little extra milk or water to the mixing bowl.

Cook for a few minutes on the first side, until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pancake. Decorate the uncooked side with white chocolate chips and AK cranberries.

Flip over, cook for a few minutes on side #2. You don’t want to overcook pancakes because they will become tough! You can always pull one off the pan and break it open to check to see if the inside is cooked and then base your cooking times off of that. A golden brown outside probably means a nice fluffy white inside.

Enjoy on the couch on a weekend morning with more butter, real maple/birch syrup and some yogurt. The white chocolate chips add some non-caffeinated sweetness, the cranberries give your mouth a burst of fruity tartness and the gluten-free flours create a pancake that is surely fine-tasting on the palate, very neutral and pleasant. These specific flours give the pancakes a bit more substance; the inside is still light but the outside is nice and crispy, like good artisan bread. The flours also provide your body and brain with good protein and carbs, for energy and smooth digestion! Sorry wheat, you just don’t offer that…