🌿 Flavor · Finland📍 Boreal Forest•⏱ 5 min

Pohjola, the berries of the north

When the forests of the Great North deliver their summer harvest, in six weeks.

Lapland· Harvest July-August· 5 min read

Pohjola means "the great North" in Finnish. It is also the name given to the wild berries picked above the Arctic Circle: blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, crowberries. Six weeks of summer to produce all year round. Unique concentration of antioxidants. Nothing tastes as northern.

Picking is free in Finland — it is the "jokamiehenoikeus", everyone's right. Everyone can enter the forest and pick, without permission. Families go with buckets and berry pickers, walk for hours, fill their containers.

The crowberry (variksenmarja) is the most emblematic. It grows close to the ground, in the rocky tundra. Acidic, herbaceous, almost resinous taste. The Sami have used it for a thousand years to preserve game — its acidity preserves the meat.

Theorigin

Above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for 70 days. This continuous light accelerates photosynthesis, boosting the production of sugars and antioxidants. Arctic berries have 4 times more anthocyanins than their temperate cousins.

Temperatures remain cool even in summer (15-20°C on average). This mildness prevents fruit fermentation on the plant, preserving their freshness. No need for pesticides — phytophagous insects are rare at these latitudes.

Theuse

Wild berries can be eaten fresh, frozen (Nordic technique: pick in buckets, freeze directly), or processed into syrups, jams, vinegars. They accompany game (reindeer, wild boar), blue cheeses, dark chocolate desserts.

For a simple dessert: 100g of thawed berries, 2 spoons of Finnish honey, 50ml of sour cream. Mix, let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with a rye crumble. That's all.