Alaska may be the next-to-youngest state, but it also the largest state of the United States of America. Alaska shelters Point Barrow, which is the northernmost point in the United States, as well as Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in all of North America. Though Mount McKinley was named for William McKinley (the 25th President of the United States), the native name for this peak is “Denali”, the Great One. The land seems to be covered in snow most of the time and for good reason: almost a third of this huge state already belongs to the Arctic Circle.
The State of Alaska is a peninsula, just like the state of Florida. The main land territory of Alaska protrudes out of the northwest corner of the North American continent resembling a big thumb on a doubled-up fist. Alaska contains hundreds of islands, with the Aleutians as its biggest chain. On the western side, the state is only 55 miles from the Asian continent, which comes as no surprise since the mainland of the two continents used to be connected thousands of years ago. Now, they are separated by the Bering Strait while the international date line runs between Alaska and Russia’s Big Diomede Island.
The Alaskan coast is ragged with a huge number of bays, sounds and inlets. From the air, the Alaskan Peninsula looks like a long, carrot shaped piece of land. The state includes four major land forms of the US: the Pacific Mountain region, the Arctic slope, the Interior Plateau and the Brooks Range. Most of Alaska is flat and treeless with permanently frozen subsoil known as tundra. The Yukon is the great river of Alaska, which crosses the Interior Plateau at the distance of more than 1200 miles and empties into the Bering Sea. The state also has many naturally lakes, the largest of which is the Ileamna Lake which covers about 1000 mi.² at the northern end of the peninsula. The general coastline of Alaska is longer than the general coastline of all 48 continental states. Its total shoreline is almost 34000 miles long.
Alaska is inhabited by three major groups - Eskimos, Indians and the Aleuts. They refer to their state as “the Great Land”. Most Alaskans are adventurous people who have lived most of their lives answering the challenges of the last United States frontier.
Alaska had no government of its own to develop its rich natural resources for many years. Its history has been spotted with gold rushes and men trying to strip the land of furs and fish. Russia had even owned Alaska for more than a hundred years. During this time, so many fur seals were killed that only a fraction of them survived. Even then, uncontrolled hunting almost left the sea otter extinct. Then, the United States bought Alaska in 1867 and the land lay almost forgotten for many years. Interest in Alaska returned in 1896 with a new gold rush calling men back to it. However, many of the gold seekers returned to home disappointed. At the end of the Gold Rush, some Alaskans compared their land to Cinderella, whose riches were depleted at the stroke of midnight. This continued until 1959, more than 90 years after the purchase, when Alaska gained control of its resources and was granted statehood.
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This article written by Michael Russell your Independent guide to Alaska.
http://alaska.guide-to.info/
Tags: Alaska Travel, Alaskan history
The salmonberries are starting to ripen around Valdez!
For those unfamiliar with salmonberries, they look very similar to a large raspberry. They may either be salmon-yellow or red in color. You will most often find salmonberries in tangled thickets in moist woods or sunny subalpine slopes. Salmonberries can be found along most coastal areas in Alaska and even all the way down to California.
A delicious salmonberry waiting to be plucked!
Alaska abounds with wild berries this time of year. The salmonberry is one of the easiest to find and delicious. For those of you who live in other parts of the country, this recipe will turn out equally well using raspberries instead of salmonberries.
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Salmonberry Cream Pie
6 cups salmonberries
Water
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Dash of salt
Whipped Cream
Baked 10-inch pie shell
Crush 2 cups berries and force through sieve. Add enough water to make 1-1/2 cups. Mix together sugar, cornstarch and salt and add to berries. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the mixture is well thickened. Allow to cool. Place remaining 4 cups berries in pie shell, then pour on cooked mixture. Chill for several hours. Serve with whipped cream and garnish with a few perfect, salmonberries.
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This delicious recipe was taken from another valuable Alaskan cookbook in my library: Alaska Wild Berry Guide & Cookbook. Not only is the book chock full of delicious berry recipes, the first section of the book is a full color identification guide for the many varieties of Alaskan wild berries. If you intend to spend any time tromping around Alaska picking berries, this is a must have guide.
Tags: Alaska wild berries, Alaskan recipe, salmonberry, salmonberry cream pie
Summer is the perfect time to grill fresh seafood. Fishing in Alaska, we tend to eat a lot of fresh grilled Alaskan sockeye salmon. This is one of the absolute best meals you could ask for! I was just going through my computer and found this article I wrote several years ago on grilling seafood. We are spoiled up here in Alaska with our abundance of fresh seafood, but these tips may be new to those living elsewhere.
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Grilled seafood can be a delightful culinary experience if done right. Many people shy away from seafood because they don’t know what to do with it. Seafood makes a tasty, healthy meal on the grill. Did you know most fish has less than half the fat of beef? I would rather put a nice salmon fillet on the grill any day. Grilling great seafood does takes a little practice. I’ve put together 10 tips to help you get started.
1. Always start with fresh fish if possible. You will have a better grilling experience. Previously frozen fish will also work; its just harder to work with. Plan on 6-8 ounces per person for fillets and 8-12 ounces per person when buying whole fish.
2. When grilling directly on the grill it is best to use a firm fleshed fish like grouper, marlin, salmon or tuna. A special fish and vegetable grid will make grilling easier. The finer mesh will help keep your food from falling through. You may even want to use a wire grill basket, especially for those more delicate fillets. This way you can turn your fish over without worrying about it breaking apart. You can even stick lemon slices between the fish and basket, if you wish.
3. Always make sure your grill is clean and well-lubricated with oil to prevent your fish from sticking. Fish breaks apart easily. If it sticks to your grill, you will have nothing but little pieces to serve. I like to saturate a paper towel with cooking oil and wipe down my grill before putting my food on. I haven’t tried it yet, but PAM also has a cooking spray made just for grilling.
4. If your fish came with the skin on, leave it on. Always place your fish fillet flesh side down first. This will sear the flesh, locking in the flavor and moisture. Turn over one-third to halfway through the grilling.
5. Always grill your fish over a hot to medium-hot fire. To test this, hold your hand about 5 inches above your heat source. Your fire is hot if you can only hold it there foe about 2 seconds. 3-4 seconds would indicate a medium-hot fire. When cooking whole fish instead of fillets, you will want a slightly lower temperature as the cooking time will be longer.
6. So how long do I leave my fish on the grill? A good rule of thumb is about 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but your recipe should note this if that is the case. Fish is done when its color turns opaque and just begins to flake with a fork. A little underdone is better than overdone as your fish will continue to cook after taken off the grill.
7. Marinades are great to add additional flavor to fish. Marinade your fish for only 30-60 minutes before grilling. Because of their lack of connective tissue, fish absorbs marinades easily. Do not over marinade or the flavors may overpower the flavor of your fish.
8. Do I need to baste my fish? When grilling, baste lean fish periodically with your favorite basting liquid or olive oil. This will help keep the fish from drying out. Basting is not really necessary with fattier fish but you may wish to do so for more flavor.
9. I love to grill with skewers. Lightly marinated shrimp are great! Use fairly large shrimp for this. Chunks of fish also work well as long as they are firm fleshed. Alternate with chunks of your favorite vegetables for great kebobs. If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. This will keep them from burning up on your grill.
10. One last tip. Tired of your hands smelling like a tacklebox long after you’ve washed your hands? Try rubbing some lemon juice on your hands. Then wash with soap and water. This will also help get rid of onion or garlic odors.
Grilling seafood isn’t really very hard if you follow these tips. With a little practice you will be grilling perfect seafood in no time. Your stomach will thank you for it, as well as all your friends and family. So slap a nice fillet of salmon on the grill today.
Resource Box:
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Shane Bryan, a long-time resident of Alaska, shares his love of Alaska with you at http://AlaskaSpirit.com. Also don’t forget to check out his store where you can get Alaskan smoked salmon and other Alaskan gifts shipped directly from Alaska. http://AlaskaSpirit.com/store/
Note: Please feel free to reprint this article and any of my other articles at ezinearticles. All I ask is that you leave my resource box intact. This way you get great content for your website and I get a link back to my website.
Tags: Alaskan fishing, grilling seafood, seafood, sockeye salmon
I recently found a good writer on ezinearticles.com who has some great Alaskan articles. I will be featuring the writing of Michael Russell here from time to time. Here is one of his articles. Dipnetting is a popular pasttime in Alaska this time of year. Read on:
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An amazing phenomenon occurs for a short time each summer in the Last Frontier as thousands of Alaskan residents, both young and old from all walks of life, take a break from whatever they are busy doing at the time to storm the shores of Alaska’s rivers. Other Alaskans know exactly what they’re up to as soon as they lay eyes on the long-pole contraptions of every sort, shape and size with very large nets attached. Some come alone, others come with friends or their entire families, having carefully planned this annual getaway and Alaskan family fishing tradition. Arriving in cars, trucks, campers and RVs, they bring their kids, pets, coolers, tents, gear for harvesting and cleaning, food, wood for fires and anything else they feel they might need for a day, a few days or a week or two at a time for some fun-filled work and
adventure.
This adventure and privilege of the Last Frontier is called dip net fishery and is only open to Alaskan residents. Since Alaska is known for world class salmon fishing with a variety of species, dip netting is an unparalleled and not to be missed, opportunity for all Alaskan residents to fill their freezers with prime subsistence for the coming winter. So with a whopping 25 salmon per head of household limit and an additional 10 fish per family member in sight, they go in droves to the various Alaskan rivers around the state as each is opened up for fishing. They are well equipped and armed with fishing licenses; dip netting permits for recording, a good cap and pair of sunglasses to guard against occasional seagull deposits.
How does one dip net? First you need a long pole with a handle that you are able to handle and are comfortable with, usually 10 to 15 feet, (shorter for kids) with a large net no bigger than 5 feet in diameter. You can buy one or be creative and craft your own, staying within the size limitations. Although many don’t wear any particular type of clothing, most are outfitted with chest waders that are designed to keep you warm and dry; that is if you don’t fall in.
You wade out as far as you feel comfortable, careful not to fill up your waders with water and hold the dip net straight out in front of you into the current. Now you wait. Waiting might be the hardest part for some. Sometimes you will wait a long time and your arms and legs will probably get tired, but wait you must until you feel a tug in your net. You then give the net a quick twist to the left or right depending on the direction of the current so the salmon can’t escape and then walk backwards or turn around and run quickly towards shore pulling the net behind you and empty out your fish on the shore for someone in your family or a friend to take over from there. You repeat this process over and over again until you reach your limit. Someone in the family or a friend will either bonk the fish on the head with a club or cut a gill to bleed it out or both.
To keep everything legal, your catch must be recorded on your permit as well as physically marked by clipping both tips of the tail fin of each fish before packing the fish away out of sight. It’s the law. A good pair of kitchen sheers should accomplish that task just fine. Now it’s ready to be put on ice in a bucket or cooler in preparation for the trip home.
You might reach your limit in one day or over several days or weeks. Dip netting is like the luck of the draw or “the great equalizer” as Alaskans like to say about this adventure extraordinaire. Sound incredible? It is and it’s only found in Alaska. If you happen to be fortunate enough to be in Alaska during this season, don’t miss the sight of these elbow-to-elbow dip netters as they get together with family and friends to have a bit of fun while dip netting for their food for the coming year. There’s nothing like it.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Alaska
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
Tags: Alaska dip netting, Alaska Fishing, dipnetting, dipnetting salmon
Summer is upon us here in Alaska and the salmon are starting to return. Our fishing season starts in about a week. While out on the water we tend to eat a lot of fresh salmon. There is nothing like a fresh Alaskan Sockeye (red) salmon picked right out of the net and into the skillet for dinner! We are spoiled up here! Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest ones. You will enjoy this recipe.
Lemon Garlic Alaska Salmon
2 tablespoons butter*
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 (4 to 6-ounce) Alaska Salmon fillets or steaks
Lemon juice
Lemon wedges
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic.
Season salmon on both sides with lemon pepper. Place salmon in pan and cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Turn salmon halfway through cooking to brown on both sides. Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Makes 2 servings
*NOTE - Olive oil may be substituted for the butter.
Fresh salmon is always better, but if you must used frozen, make sure it is thawed before cooking. This recipe will work equally well with any variety of wild Alaskan salmon.
Enjoy!
Shane
The Alaska Heritage Seafood Cookbook: Great Recipes From Alaska’s Rich Kettle Of Fish
Life’s a Fish and Then You Fry: An Alaska Seafood Cookbook
The Riversong Lodge Cookbook: World-Class Cooking in The Alaskan Bush
Tags: Alaska recipes, Alaska salmon, Alaska salmon recipe, Alaska Seafood, Alaskan Recipes, wild Alaskan salmon
