Arctic Super Foods – Blueberries in our Lapland
Blueberries have sprung up all over Finnish Lapland, and often you don’t need to go far to find them.
Everyone can enjoy them
Everyone in Finland has the right to pick berries. It is part of the Everyman’s right. The forest is blooming with delicious, fresh, wild blueberries (mustikka). Also called bilberries (tervamustikoita). The bilberries are smaller than the highbush blueberries and contains three to five times more anthocynanins than the highbush blueberry. These small, nutritious dark blue berries can attract even the biggest bears.
Photo by Kristin L. Braend
Different amount each year
You can find them all over Finland, even in the most Nordic part of Lapland. They are ripe from July to the beginning of September. Every season are different. One year the forest can explode with huge berries and another year the number or size can be drastically reduced. In the winter the plant needs snow to protect them when they are hibernating. In summer the plant is dependent on pollination. If the beginning of summer is cold, the insects won’t spread their pollination and the flowers won’t be able to produce strong berries.
Where can you find them?
The plant likes shade, and they grow by forest lakes or ponds, in areas where trees have been cut, or north facing slopes. If you are located in Rovaniemi you can cross Lumberjack’s Candle Bridge. There you will find an area called Ounasvaara. On the left side is a big forest, there you will find a lot of berries scattered around.
Lapland’s Superfood
Blueberries is a superfood, and research shows that they can help your health, memory and focus. The berries contain antioxidants that are healthy for you. They contain more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables. The bilberry is blue all the way through, which gives it a higher level of anthocyanin than the highbush blueberry.
Activities In the Nature
Picking blueberries can be a great activity by itself. You can for example make it a great camping trip for you and your family. After spending hours of picking berries, nothing feels better than having a taste after all your hard work. And why not bring along a batch of pancake batter? You can prepare it beforehand, and bring the batter in a bottle.
Finland have many lean-to shelters also called a lavvu that provides a fireplace and firewood. All you need is something to light the fire, and something to cook the pancakes on. You might also want to bring along a few bottles of water if you want to wash the berries, make a cup of coffee, or just have a fresh drink of water. After cooking the pancakes you can sprinkle your freshly picked berries on top and look at them coloring the pancake purple.
You can of course enjoy the berries however you like. Bring them back home or to your place of stay. Where you can make blueberry jam, smoothie, freeze them for winter or whatever your heart desires.
Photo by Kristin L. Braend
Some final tips
- Dress wisely. Blueberry stains are hard to remove,so choose your clothing accordingly.
- The berries will also stain your hands, but you will be able to wash this off.
- Bring along a bucket or something similar to keep your berries in.
- You can pick berries more efficiently by purchasing a berry picker. Be aware that this method is going to pick a lot more than just the berries, like leaves and insects.
- If you choose to use the berry picker you might also want to bring along a berry strainer. This will make it easier to strain the berries after.
- You can buy these equipment’s at various places. For example at a second hand shop. The same goes for frying pans or other necessary hiking equipment.
Lastly of all, have fun and bon appétit!
