Francis Neumann used to whip soapberries into a light, airy meringue with a wooden stick. Now, she uses a handheld mixer.<\/p>\n
She made the shift \u201cwhen I could afford it,\u201d Neumann said laughing.<\/p>\n
Neumann was one of three contestants for this year\u2019s Celebration 2016 Soapberry Contest at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center Friday. Her competition was her sister Doris McLean and her cousin Charlene Baker \u2014 all three are from Whitehorse.<\/p>\n
Also on the stage was a spot for the late Juneau Tlingit elder Helen Watkins, who had entered the contest every year. Sealaska Heritage Institute, which organized the event, dedicated this year\u2019s contest to Watkins. In her place on stage was her photo.<\/p>\n
Watkins\u2019 family members were at the contest, watching closely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard,\u201d said Watkins\u2019 husband, local carver Ray Watkins, amidst the whirring of handheld mixers. \u201cAll of this is hard. Being here at Celebration is hard without her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watkins died in February. She was well known and respected for her traditional knowledge on processing an abundance of natural foods and products, like devil\u2019s club, red seaweed, salmon caviar, seal oil and soapberries.<\/p>\n
[Tlingit elder Helen Watkins leaves behind a legacy, one video at a time.<\/a>]<\/p>\n Watkins harvested the tiny red, bitter berries in Haines Junction.<\/p>\n \u201cHelen preferred the half-ripe ones. She thought they whipped up better,\u201d Ray Watkins said.<\/p>\n After adding a small amount of soapberry to a bowl, Watkins would mash it up. \u201cThen you add a little bit of water and start whipping it up, and then start adding sugar as it starts to thicken,\u201d Ray Watkins explained.<\/p>\n \u201cShe would add bananas to it for extra flavor, sometimes blueberry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The contestants on stage all used a similar method with slight variations. McLean, who\u2019s won the Celebration Soapberry Contest before, said she doesn\u2019t add other fruit to her soapberry.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t use nothing in my soapberry. What you\u2019re tasting is soapberry,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey put everything in it and they mess up their soapberry,\u201d McLean said, referring to the other contestants.<\/p>\n McLean whipped up soapberries that she harvested, cooked and jarred; a little water and \u201csugar to taste\u201d with a handheld mixer in a glass bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cSoapberries are very finicky,\u201d she said. Only use glass or steel; otherwise you won\u2019t get the right consistency, she said.<\/p>\n [Weavers share stories at Celebration: ‘A very powerful way of life’<\/a>]<\/p>\n Contestant Charlene Baker mixed up her soapberries in a plastic, square bucket \u2014 her \u201cberry bucket,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Baker also used a handheld blender as opposed to a mixer. Her dessert included a mix of unripe, green soapberries that she recently picked between Whitehorse and Carcross, soapberries that she bought from her cousin, and some mixed berries.<\/p>\n Baker\u2019s dessert was dark pink and the most liquid of the three.<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer a smoothie texture,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can make your own dessert according to what your tastes prefer.\u201d<\/p>\n Francis Neumann also added mixed berries to her soapberries during the contest. Her method was similar to her sister\u2019s, except she whipped ingredients together in a metal bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like whipped cream. When you whip up whipped cream, it foams up. Sugar added to it makes it foam more,\u201d Neumann said.<\/p>\n [Celebration’s lead dance group has surprises up its sleeve<\/a>.]<\/p>\n From start to finish, the contestants took about 10 minutes to make their desserts. After the three judges got their samples, the contestants eagerly shared their desserts with audience members, scraping their bowls to make sure everyone got a taste.<\/p>\n Celebration participant Bob Ridley missed the contest and the tasting, but he was eager to buy a jar of prepared soapberries so he could make the dessert himself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably been 50 years since I\u2019ve had it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m from Metlakatla and my mom and dad used to make it all the time. I always keep my eyes open for it and I just happen to be walking through, so I\u2019d like to get a jar.\u201d<\/p>\n Lucky for Ridley, McLean \u2014 who had brought three cases of soapberries to sell at Celebration \u2014 said, \u201cI have one left!\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n More Celebration coverage:<\/p>\n David R. Boxley wins ‘Best of Show’ at Celebration art competition<\/a><\/p>\n Celebration: No border between us<\/a><\/p>\n Keeping culture alive with canoes<\/a><\/p>\n Building bridges for Native LGBTQ: ‘You’re not alone’<\/a><\/p>\n