The Highbush Cranberries (Viburnum edule) are ripe, a tell-tale sign that our all-too-brief Alaska summer is coming to an end. As the berries turn a bright red, so do the plant’s leaves.

 I’ve lived in Alaska 40 years, and it just wouldn’t be Autumn without the pungent aroma of cranberries wafting through the woods. And it wouldn’t be Winter without cranberry tisane to help take the chill off a cold night.