Berry Drying and Rolling
After boiling the berries, the mixture is spread on the berry drying rack. This consists of "four posts, about three feet high" that "hold several wooden racks made of red cedar, six feet long and eighteen inches wide." Uncooked skunk cabbage leaves are placed on the rack, then slightly cooked skunk cabbage leaves and on top of these the berry mixture is spread. A small fire is built under the rack and is kept going throughout the drying process. Once the berries are no longer sticky to the touch, the half-dried berries are turned over, so the bottom side can dry. When the berries are completely dry, the berries are rolled into a big circle about 12 inches in diameter. A stick is placed in the middle of the roll and the berries can be hung up to store. Berry rolls can also be flattened out and cut in to berry cakes to give as gifts.
Boiling
Before the introduction of brass pots in the late 1700's, boiling was done by filling bent cedar boxes with water, then adding heated stones until the water boiled. A second box of water stood close by the stones. Each stone was lifted from the fire with long wooden tongs and rinsed in the water of the second box before it was placed in the cooking box. These stones were kept neatly piled, ready to be used again and again. The box used for boiling was usually reinforced by encircling it with strong cedar ropes, which gave extra support for its wooden walls.
Earth-oven Baking
Most baking was done in earth ovens. To make an earth oven, a hole is dug in the ground and lined with hot stones, about the size and shape of large baking potatoes. When the hot stones are in place, a thin layer of soil is sprinkled over them for insulation, then the soil is covered with a layer of green growth such as moss, ferns, skunk cabbage leaves or hemlock boughs. The food to be baked is usually wrapped in birch bark and placed on the green bed. The baking food is then covered with another layer of greens and more soil is sprinkled on top. The depth of the layer of soil depends upon the size and quantity of the food that is being cooked. A big fire is needed to bake a whole mountain goat, so in this case the cook puts on a fairly thick layer of earth insulation between fire and "roast". If a single Dolly Varden is to be baked, only a thin layer of soil will be needed.
Earthen Cellars
A great food storage place was provided by the Great Nature herself in earthen cellars or pits known as anyuusim yip. These could be holes dug in ground, approximately three feet wide and three to four feet deep, or even larger excavations that resemble modern day root cellars. Many were simply dug into sidehills, two of which are still in existence at the Old Kuldo village.
This type of storage, of course, needed to be hidden from four-legged would-be thieves. The food was wrapped in birch bark and then placed in the hole, which could also be lined with birch bark, to within eight to ten inches from the top. The hole was then filled with coverings such as very dry coniferous needles, which mice do not like to chew and most other animals don't like to stick their noses into. Other coverings used were dirt, boughs or bark. Sometimes burnt bark would be used, as animals do not like the smell of burning wood.
Wooden Food Caches
There's controversy as to whether wooden food caches (anyuusim gan) were used before the Europeans arrived, since the caches were only useful if the bases of the poles supporting them were wrapped in copper metal to prevent animals from climbing them, and copper was not available until the Europeans reached the area.
A typical cache had a peaked roof of cedar shakes and walls of plank or log. Cedar bark strips were applied over the roof's ridge point as rainproofing. The cache was placed on cedar poles and raised six to ten feet above ground. A wood door served as protection against the elements. Caches were usually placed behind the village, above high water.
Preserving using Oolichan Grease
Oolichan grease was used as a food preservative. Berries or crabapples could be coated with the grease, placed in wooden boxes and stored in cool places until needed. The grease prevented air from getting to the food and thus slowed its decay.
