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Tasty berries bring Arctic aromas to the dining table
The yellow orange king of the berries, the first berry of the summer, is called cloudberry (“hilla”) by the locals. This Arctic vitamin bomb is also known as nordic berry and knotberry. Cloudberry is a respected berry, which provides a good source of income to a hardworking berry picker. The seed oil of this noble berry is also used in cosmetics. The KorvatunturiLand’s vast wilderness areas offer many cloudberry swamps for you to explore. And if for some reason you are unable to find a berry spot, moving in the swamps is a great form of exercise. We recommend it!
The positive health effects of bilberries have been known for centuries. Thanks to its wonderful flavour bilberry can be enjoyed in various ways. The bilberry shoots are also wanted ingredient for herbal infusions. The foreign berry pickers are not a uncommon sight in the region, as they do their fair share in the effort to collect the bilberries. This ensures that the food industry has enough ingredients.
Lingonberry, that bitter rosy cheek, has its place alongside many everyday dishes. Traditional sautéed reindeer practically demands lingonberry jam for the side. You can also make tasty juices and many children’s favourite treat vispipuuro (“whipped porridge”) from lingonberries. When the summers turns to fall the berry pickers head to pick lingonberries buckets swinging – and for a good reason.
Crowberry, also known as blackberry, is a flowering plant species in the heather family Ericaceae, and its purplish-black berries look a bit like bilberries. This species’ northern strain provide popular ingredients for juices and wines. The fowl also love these berries.
Cooperative KorvatunturinMaa refines organic berries into luxurious, sweet berry sauces for the dining table. Cooperative also buys berries and in summer there is a big hustle and bustle going on between the reception point and the frozen halls, when the new harvest is being received from the berry pickers to be refined.
Regardless, berry picking is an important source of income to many locals and berries are an important part of the diet. Without the vitamin C, you won’t go far in the North.