Chapter 4.13
4.13 Cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus)
Karen Bryllian, University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Bryllian,K. (2022) Fleshy Fruits. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Introduction and Geographical Origin
Cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus) also known as bakeapple is a fruit that is often found in northern part of Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, and USA (Rapp, 1998). In Canada, specifically soft peatlands of Labrador, Northern Quebec, and Newfoundland is where cloudberries are most populated (Li et al, 2015). Nicknamed the Arctic’s Gold (Martell, 2019), cloudberries are recognizable by its small, juicy, and salmon orange colored feature when ripe and its vibrant red berry in its unripe stage (Small, 2013).
The Plant and cold hardiness
Cloudberry plant is 10 – 12cm high, with leather like leaf and spherical shaped fruit similar to raspberry. There is only one fruit per cloudberry plant (on the tip), and depending on its living condition and the quality of pollination, the size of the berry can vary between 1- 2cm in diameter. Being a small woody perennial dioicous plant, unlike other Rubus species, cloudberries have different male and female plants. For the female flower to bear fruit, pollination through wind and mainly insects must carry pollen to the female flowers. In the wild, it is commonly seen that the ratio of female to male flowers is low with less than quarter of the population is a female flower.
Despite of the location of where it is usually found, cloudberries are not very resistant to temperatures below zero degree Celsius. Its cold hardiness comes from the fact that the plant’s rhizome is mainly underground and, varies depending on the amount of sucrose or sugar stored available in the plant. Here is how the survival temperature differ with the plant’s life cycle:
- Its flower can withstand temperature 0 -1 degree Celsius. Below that, the flower pistils which are the female reproductive part of the flower are unable to be fertilized.
- Right after fertilization, temperature below 0 Degree Celsius will kill the plant
- During the development and ripening of the berries, the fruit can withstand lower temperatures. When almost ripe, it can endure temperature between -3 to -4 degree Celsius.
As a result of the plant’s tolerance to low temperature, depending on the climate, up to 50% of flowers and young fruits could be killed.
History and culture in relation to indigenous communities
Cloudberries were an important source of nutrition especially vitamin C that contributed as an important remedy for curing scurvy among Arctic’s hunters. A list of indigenous communities that have been known to incorporate cloudberries in their diet are Chipewyans, Tahltan, Haida, Coast Tsimshian, Eskimo groups of Alaska, Labrador and other Inuit people, Kaska and other Dena people, Gitksan and The Tanaina, and Tlingit. Different indigenous groups have different ways of consuming and preserving cloudberries.
A few examples of how the indigenous communities consume cloudberries are: First, Inupiaq Eskimo traditionally eats cloudberries raw with seal oil and then, moved on to consuming the fruit with sugar, canned milk. Then, The Chipewyans of northern Saskatchewan that considered cloudberries as the second most important fruit after blueberries often consume cloudberries by eating it raw or cooking it into jam with a little sugar. Lastly, Western Eskimo makes “Eskimo Ice Cream” that consist of blubber (seal fat), berries that sometimes include cloudberries and greens.
Cloudberries preserved form were also excellent source of nutrition for winter when it is harder to find food because cloudberries starts to ripe first among other wild berries, from July to September. Some example of different methods of preserving cloudberries in indigenous groups are: For start, The Inupiaq Eskimo folds cloudberries in whipped fat and sealed it in a barrel to preserve it. Another native method by Haida and Tsimshian is that they picked cloudberries mid-summer and store them under water and grease (seal oil is commonly used) in a traditionally cedar box and modernly jar, tins, and barrels to preserve it. As mentioned, the Chipewyans’ way storing cloudberries by turning it into confectionary jam is also an example of the different ways that the indigenous groups to turn cloudberries to food storage. Despite of being an excellent source of food, some indigenous communities such as The Caribou and The Copper have been known to hardly pick cloudberries even when it is accessible to the community.
Up to this day, the heritage of cloudberries is still celebrated through Bakeapple Folk Festival in Labrador that focuses on supporting youth, schools, seniors, hospitals, and whoever is in need of help.
Nutritional significance (benefit and limitations)
Cloudberries are excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin B especially thiamine (Vitamin B1), phosphorus, potassium, fiber, magnesium, copper, manganese, and molybdenum while being low in calories in reference to Daily Recommended Intake. As a comparison, 100 grams of cloudberries contain more vitamin C and almost the same amount of potassium as a medium sized orange (154 grams) which have 130mg vitamin C and 250mg of potassium. The limitation of consuming cloudberries is that it can not be consumed with an empty stomach as it is known to have caused stomach cramps.
Method and quality of harvest
Harvesting method of cloudberries is very labor intensive and complicated. The harvester have to go lengthy distance through wet bogs and usually have to deal with mosquitoes and black flies to harvest cloudberries in the wild. In addition to that, comparing cloudberries to its fellow wild berries peer, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries cloudberries are more delicate to handle thus, harvesting is only possible through hand picking each fruit. In a high producing bog, the productivity rate for picking cloudberries is 4.5kg / hour.
Another factor that contributes to the need for special attention is the need to identify the fruit level of ripeness from the color and softness. Different method of consumption requires different cloudberry ripeness. In its maturation process cloudberries changes color from red (unripe) to orange golden (ripe) and to pale yellow (overripe). Perfectly soft and golden orange, ripe cloudberries would be great eaten raw. To obtain ripe berries for sale, these berries must be harvested in the condition in which we want to sell them (does not apply to long distance exports or transports). The reason to this is because, similar to blackberries, cloudberries can’t be picked when raw and then sit out to ripe because, it will change the taste and texture. Thus, the workers that hand-picked the berries have to be able to skillfully identify the level of ripeness from the color of the berries and harvest what are demanded.
Cloudberry standard for jam, confiture or preserve production
To make cloudberry jams, a combination of ripe and unripe berries is needed for the flavor and texture of the fruit changes when cooked. The tasting palate for cloudberries changes dramatically at different stages of the ripening process. When cooked, the hard, vibrant red, unripe berries have apricot like tasting notes while having a drier and harder texture comparing to the ripe berry due to the presence of a higher concentration of substance called pectin (usually used as a thickening agent for jams in the food industry). When only the ripe and soft berries are cooked, the consistency became more liquid, and the flavor is more subtle compared to the cooked unripe cloudberries. Therefore, a combination of both ripe and unripe cloudberries are preferred to make a balanced taste and texture jams.
Products made from cloudberries
Almost all parts of cloudberries can be processed to items that can be sold. Starting from the berries, it can be eaten fresh or converted into jams, liquor, or even used as flavorings for beer. In the market, fresh cloudberries are scarce and seasonal thus, the very high retail price. In 2019, one kilograms of fresh cloudberries are valued at USD $176.4 or approximately CAD $226.0/kg. Cloudberries processed forms are the ones that are often found in the trading market. For example, cloudberry jams offer a more affordable way to enjoy cloudberries, for a 190 milliliters jar of cloudberry confiture made in Canada, it cost CAD $14.0 which is more than one-tenth cheaper than the fresh fruit. Aside from the berries, the flower and leaf can be dried to make tea. Lastly, its seed can be extracted to produce vitamin E used in cosmetics.
Supply and demand of cloudberry products
There are a lot of rooms for development for Canada and Global market development of cloudberry goods. Both in local and international market, cloudberries are considered a gourmet and are competitive in the fruit market. There is a constant demand for the fruit that are largely unmet. The fact that Norway imported 200 – 300 Metric Tons of cloudberries in some years and that the cloudberry industry in North America is barely developed shows that there is a prospect in the fruit’s export.
References
1. FDA. (2017, Dec 13). Raw Fruits Poster (Text Version / Accessible Version). Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/raw-fruits-poster-text-version-accessible-version
2. Kuhnlein, H.V., & Turner, N.J. (1991). Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples Nutrition, Botany and Use (8). Retrieved From https://www.fao.org/3/ai215e/ai215e.pdf
3. Li, J., Percival, D., Hoyle, J., White, J., Head, K., & Pruski, K. (2015). Phenology and yield of native fruits cloudberry/bakeapple (Rubus chamaemorus L.) and lingonberry/partridgeberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) grown in Southern Labrador, Canada. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE. 96, 329 – 338. Retrieved from CDN Science pub: https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjps-2015-0131
4. Martell, N. (2019). Ingredient Spotlight: Cloudberries. Retrieved from https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/california/article/features/cloudberry-fruit
5. Oria, M., Harrison, M., & Stallings, V.A. (2019, Mar 5). Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Elements Food and Nutrition Board, National Academies. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545442/table/appJ_tab3/?report=objectonly
6. Ross, C., Taylor, C.L., Yaktine, A.L., &Valle, H.B.D. (2011). Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Total Water and Macronutrients. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56068/table/summarytables.t4/?report=objectonly
7. Ross, C., Taylor, C.L., Yaktine, A.L., &Valle, H.B.D. (2011). Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Vitamins. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56068/table/summarytables.t2/?report=objectonly
8.Small, E. (2013). North American Cornucopia TOP 100 Indigenous Food Plants. Retrieved from https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/41771