History
Alaska Native peoples have foraged wild blueberries for millennia, and the picking tradition continues each July and August. Today the berries appear at Anchorage and Spenard farmers markets, in Sweet Caribou macarons and in pies baked at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. The bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) and the alpine blueberry are the two canonical Alaska species, both far smaller and more intense than commercial Maine or Michigan stock.
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Common allergens: Tree nut traces if processed at the same bakery
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 600g wild blueberries (or substitute cultivated)
- 120g granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 1 double pie crust, chilled (homemade or all-butter)
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Toss the blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
- Roll out half the pie crust and line a 9-inch pie plate.
- Pour the blueberry mixture into the crust and dot with the cubed butter.
- Roll out the second crust and either drape over the filling with vents cut, or lattice the top.
- Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 200C, then reduce to 180C and bake another 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling thickly through the vents.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Tip from the editors. Wild Alaska blueberries hold less water than commercial. Use full cornstarch for cultivated; reduce by 1 tbsp for wild.
Where to eat wild alaska blueberries
Wild Alaska blueberries in Anchorage
Sweet Caribou ★ 4.5
Sweet Caribou is one of Anchorage's lower-profile picks, tucked into a W 36th Avenue strip mall, where the Alaska family patisserie quietly turns macarons.
Why locals goTucked into a W 36th Avenue strip mall, the Alaska family patisserie quietly produces some of the best macarons north of Seattle.
TipOrder the seasonal Alaska blueberry macaron and a locavore lunch bowl to go. Closed Sunday, so plan around it.
Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop ★ 4.7
Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop opened in 2009 in South Addition and is a 2026 James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Bakery, with crusty breads and scones.
Worth the queueSourdough loaves and laminated croissants
Spenard Farmers Market ★ 4.3
Spenard Farmers Market runs Saturdays under the well-known Spenard windmill in the Koot's parking lot. Anchorage at its most local on weekend mornings.
More cities are in research. Want wild alaska blueberries covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.