Blueberries and Polar Bears: Webber's Northern Lodges-Our Most Requested Recipes

B.J. Busch is associate librarian, Access and Information Services,
Cameron Library, University of Alberta.

While there are recipes using blueberries in this delightful cookbook,
written by Webber’s Lodges chief cook and her assistant, there are no
recipes for polar bear meat. The cookbook, a labor of love that grew out
of repeated requests for recipes from guests at North Knife Lake Fishing
Lodge and Dymond Lake Hunting Lodge, also features anecdotes and
humorous stories from the perspective of those who run fly-in lodges in
northern Manitoba. There is a brief history for most recipes; an
occasional essay on, for example, the smoking of fish; and hints on
baking with yeast. The recipes are by no means confined to wild game,
but run the full range of grub needed to feed hungry lodge guests. Even
the wild game recipes can be altered; the authors suggest that elk or
deer can be substituted for moose or caribou, and, if one is desperate,
even beef can be used. If you have come to expect the usual calorie,
cholesterol, and fat count, you won’t find such information here. This
is tasty, hearty fare, and the amount of butter, sour cream, and
mayonnaise used would shock the system of any dieter. The recipes are
easy to follow, and not too elaborate or time-consuming, as befits food
served in a commercial setting. Suggestions for accompaniments are
provided, and there is an abundance of photographs.