Finland- Home of Wild Berries
Why is Finland popular for berries?
Finland is often regarded as a treasure trove for wild berries.
Finland’s climate, vast forests, cultural traditions, and the nutritional value of wild berries are some of the key reasons why books frequently depict Finland as a haven for wild berries.
Majority of Finland’s land is a forest where these berries flourish. These forests cover extensive areas of the country, and many of them are filled with wild berry bushes. Bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and cranberries are just a few examples of the berry varieties found in these forests.
The “Everyman’s Right,” a legal concept in Finland, grants people the freedom to pick berries, mushrooms, and other natural treasures from the forests, as long as it is done in a sustainable and respectful way which means that, a picker does not in any way, disturb the people living in the surrounding area, if there are any. This cultural tradition of foraging for wild berries has been passed down through generations and is deeply ingrained in Finnish society.
From farm to table berry picking experience
The wild blueberry season has almost ended although this time you can still find some. It has been raining in the past few days and so the berries were bigger than it was couple of weeks ago. I have managed to collect a good amount for our future blueberry pie, better known in Finnish as “mustikkapiirakka” which I will show you how its done.
At home, we have blueberries, lingonberries, black currant, raspberry and strawberry as the last one. Each of these berries have their own distinct taste and sweet smell amongst which, I like strawberry the best.
In Finland, people preserve these berries easily by freezing, some add sugar on it, others don’t, it really depends on what you prefer. In my case, I did both and also made some jams and jelly.
Looking forward to collecting cranberries in the forest towards early winter. This kind of berry is found mostly where the swamp is, a little bit difficult to collect, but worth its healthy benefits.
