Old Crow, Yukon


Old Crow is the northernmost town in the Yukon and is a fly-in only community.  Old Crow is home to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, who for millennia have derived their livelihood — and way of life — from the Porcupine Caribou Herd. This page will continue to grow as Suzanne gathers more knowledge about eating locally in and around Old Crow.
LOCAL PRODUCERS
Old Crow is a sharing community. There are no commercial local producers. Instead, food that is harvested from the land, hunted, and grown is shared.
LOCAL Ingredients
See something to be added or corrected in this list? Want to help First We Eat create a local ingredient list for your Northern Community? Please contact us here or email us.

Meat:
  • Moose (all parts except antlers)
  • Caribou (all parts)
  • Grouse
  • Ptarmigan (willow)
  • Rabbit
  • Porcupine
  • Lynx
  • Beaver
  • Gopher
  • Squirrel
  • Muskrat
  • Black Duck
  • Goose
  • Occasionally chicken, turkeys and pigs have been raised locally
Fish:
  • Chum salmon (including salmon eggs)
  • Chinook salmon
  • Grayling
  • Burbot
  • Pike
  • Whitefish (including eggs)
 Inconnu
Eggs
  • Occasionally Chicken Eggs
Grains:
  • none
Fruit:
  • Low bush cranberries
  • High bush cranberries
  • Rosehips
  • Mossberry (dinnech’uh)
  • Blueberries
  • Raspberries (a few)
  • Wild Rhubarb (the first fresh fruit of spring!)
  • Salmonberry/Cloudberrry/Bakeapple
Vegetables (can store fresh year round):
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Cabbage
  • Onions
  • Turnip
  • Beets
Vegetables (can store frozen, dried or canned):
  • Tomatoes
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery
  • Peas
Seasonal only vegetables:
  • Lettuce
  • Green onions
  • Radish
Herbs:
  • Basil
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Cilantro/coriander
  • Marjoram
  • Rosemary
  • Parsley
  • Sage
  • Sorrel
  • Lemon Balm
  • Catnip
Wild plants:
  • Wild onions
  • Fireweed
  • Juniper berries
  • Spruce tips (a few)
  • Labrador tea
  • Wild Sage
  • Colts foot
  • Stinging Nettle
  • Yarrow
  • Dandelion
  • Chickweed
  • Wild Rose Petals
  • Chaga
  • Bear Root
  • Plantain
Thickener:
  • Red dock
  • Birch and Alder Catkins (if not allergic)
Fats:
  • Moose and caribou lard
  • Bone grease
Suzanne’s  Blog: Vadzaih Choo Drin, Caribou Days, in Old Crow - Caribou near the Firth River in Northern Yukon. Photo by Cathie Archbould.
Giant Cabbages in Old Crow, Yukon - Giant Cabbages in Old Crow, Yukon
Look Under the Snow for Versatile Juniper Berries - Look Under the Snow for Versatile Juniper Berries
Trying Specklebelly Goose from Old Crow - Trying Specklebelly Goose from Old Crow
Pemmi-can-do with Ch’itsuh - Pemmican recipes
Vadzaih: Cooking Caribou from Antler to Hoof - Vadzaih: Cooking with Caribou
Celebrating the Porcupine Caribou Herd -
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