by Greg Lincoln
Even a seemingly desolate looking sand pit can yield an abundance of fresh greens for food. That is exactly what happened on June 14th when a group of like-minded Bethel folk and their guests gathered to forage for wild rhubarb at the Bethel Sand Pit off of BIA Road.
The event was sponsored by the Kuskokwim Consortium Library and the Bethel Community Services Foundation and BCSF Food Security Coordinator Carey Atchak.
The group learned about how to correctly identify and safely gather wild rhubarb, how to process it, and they also got to sample some delicious freshly made wild rhubarb pesto shared by Kuskokwim Consortium Library Director Theresa Quiner.
According to the Guide to the Ethnobotany of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region by Kevin Jernigan et al., wild rhubarb – also known as angukaq, nakaaq, naunraq, and nauciq in Yugtun, the leaves can be eaten raw and the stem can be cooked to make pies.
Angukaq is rich in folate, even more so than spinach, which is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps make red blood cells. Akutaq makers boil the leaves and stems, puree them, and then put it in their akutaq along with raisins and canned fruit for a tasty dessert. The raw leaves can be used in salads and sandwiches and its best to pick them when they are less than 10 inches tall.
At the group foraging event, Atchak showed the participants where to look for the plant. She said that when they are picked, they always come back the next year.
Jodi Johnson of Alpowa, Washington said that this is the first time he’s picked wild rhubarb.
“I’m going to make a blueberry rhubarb pie or a blueberry rhubarb crisp – one of the two,” he said. “I’m learning the ways of the land.”
Quyana.
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