Freshly picked berries at Seal River Heritage Lodge!
by Mike Reimer
Sure, we have fancy lodges to stay in and a great supply chain of fresh groceries from points south, but along the way we have managed to keep a strong connection to the land and waters we inhabit. Jeanne, or “El Presidente” as she likes to be called and still Queen of the empire, has never failed to stay true to her roots, harvesting locally at every opportunity and passing on that knowledge to her four children and now 10 grandchildren!
Even before they could walk, Mom and Dad, Doug and Helen Webber, had Jeanne and her two sisters, Toni and Shari, off on great wilderness adventures (i.e., work) into Canada’s last frontier, via float plane, snowmobile, or boat, in all kinds of weather. Whether harvesting caribou or moose, ducks or geese, fish or berries, she was involved from a very early age, essentially “living off the land.”
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- Jeanne fishing back in the day.
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- A big catch!
Father Doug Webber never failed to eat all and anything he deemed worthy of harvest, which mom Helen (co-author of the Blueberries and Polar Bears cookbook series along with her friend Marie Woolsey) would bravely turn into a spectacular meal for the family. There was an occasional need for a little extra hot sauce, which Doug always liked to liberally apply anyway, but for the most part it was the healthiest of living, on game, fish, and berries.
Jeanne and her grandson.
Over the many seasons, Jeanne has carried on these wonderful traditions, first with her own children, and now with her grandchildren. As these pictures attest, she spends much time applying her experience to not only harvesting but also prepping and cooking up fabulous recipes from land and sea!
Jeanne Reimer and daughters making cookies from the Blueberries & Polar Bears cookbooks during the early days at Seal River Heritage Lodge.
Jeanne’s heart is truly oriented “north.” She still loves to get out there. Her home is in the bush, or on the coast, and as a fourth-generation knowledge keeper, her roots run deep. All the way back to her Icelandic pioneering family’s 1929 arrival in Churchill, or as she is sure to remind me of, her ancestral connection to the 16th King of Denmark!
I’ve learned to smile and nod.
Churchill Wild 2025-2026 Polar Bear Safaris
