These are 8 delicious berries that Finns pop into their mouths in the wild, and you can do the same

Are you coming to Finland in the summer or autumn? Perfect timing to discover the best of Finnish nature! The Finnish forest offers an incredible range of taste experiences in the form of berries. Read our guide, where we tell you about the most popular berries and give you tips on berry picking. Find out how you can pick these tasty treasures responsibly and enjoy Finnish nature at its best. Here’s a list of some of the most popular berries and tips on how to pick them. You can also find all these berries in Southern Finland, some even in Helsinki!

Top 10 Tips for Berry Picking in Finland

• Wear comfortable and weather-appropriate clothing and footwear.
• Bring a clean bucket or other plastic container suitable for berry picking.
• You don’t necessarily need a berry picker; it’s pleasant and soothing to pick berries with your fingers as well. This way, you avoid buying unnecessary plastic, and you won’t need to clean the berries afterward. When using a berry picker, a lot of debris like leaves and needles tends to get collected along with the berries!
• Do not go berry picking alone. First and foremost, it’s much more enjoyable when you can chat and pick berries together with a friend while appreciating nature. In case of any issues, you can brainstorm solutions together.
• Getting lost is not uncommon; even many Finns get lost while berry picking. That’s why it’s a good idea to let someone know where you’re headed beforehand. It’s also safer to stay close to roads so you can hear the sounds of passing cars. You don’t need to venture far into nature to find delicious berries.
• Respect nature and other pickers, and don’t disturb the natural tranquility. Do not litter. Ensure you leave no traces behind in the environment.
• Do not pick berries close to anyone’s yard or cottage.
• Do not eat berries you cannot identify and are certain are edible. There are also poisonous berries in the Finnish wilderness!
• We recommend visiting nature centers found throughout Finland – the staff there can tell you about the kinds of berries you can find nearby and provide specific tips for tasting them.
• You can also ask locals for advice if you happen to be picking berries alongside someone. You’ll likely receive valuable guidance and assistance.

What berries can you pick in Finland?

Bilberry (or wild blueberry)

• In Finnish: Mustikka
• Bilberry is one of Finland’s best-known berries and grows widely in forests and bogs.
• Bilberries can be picked by hand or, for example, with various berry-picking tools, which are sold even in small markets at harvest time.
• The ripening period varies depending on the summer and the location, but the rough timeframe is from July to September.
• Ripe bilberries are blue or blue-black. If you accidentally taste a raw bilberry, don’t panic, it’s not dangerous.
• Bilberries are full of antioxidants and vitamin C and can be eaten fresh in the wild, frozen, made into juice or jam, or used in baking.
• One of the most popular ways to use bilberries in Finland is to bake bilberry pie (mustikkapiirakka). You can often find bilberry pie in cafés!
• Ripe bilberries can be soft and turn your fingers purple, so be careful not to stain your clothes!
• Good footwear for bilberry picking includes rubber boots or other off-road shoes that can withstand moisture and staining.
• Bilberry leaves turn magnificent red in the fall, and it’s a significant part of what’s known as ‘ruska,’ the colorful autumn foliage.

Lingonberry

• In Finnish: Puolukka
• Lingonberry is a common berry, especially in the canopy forests.
• Lingonberries can be picked by hand or, for example, with various berry-picking tools, which are sold even in small markets at harvest time.
• They are ripe between August and October, when they are red all over, i.e. they no longer have any raw white parts.
• Even when ripe, lingonberries are plump and dry, not as juicy as blueberries.
• It is easy to pick many lingonberries at a time, they do not fall apart or stain fingers or clothes.
• Lingonberries can be used in jams and juices, for example.
• Lingonberries can also be used to make delicious pies, and lingonberry pies (puolukkapiirakka) are often served in Finnish cafés, for example.

Cloudberry

• In Finnish: Lakka or hilla
• Lakka is a prized northern delicacy, growing especially in northern Finland and also further south in marshy areas.
• Cloudberry thrives in pristine bogs, but it is also found along the edges of new forest ditches and forest roads that cut through the marshes. Rubber boots are a good choice of footwear.
• Also protect yourself from mosquitoes and other gnats, which are usually abundant in the area where cloudberries grow when the berries are ripe. Wear a long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved trousers and a gnat hat with netting.
• Cloudberries can usually be picked between July and August.
• They are also known in Finnish as ‘suomuurain‘, ‘muurain‘, ‘lintti‘ or ‘valokki‘.
• Ripe cloudberries are orange and soft. If the berry is hard and red, it is still raw.
• They can be eaten on their own or added to yoghurt and desserts, for example. They are also popular for making jam, which in Finland is usually served with pancakes or the Finnish speciality, bread cheese.

Raspberry

• In Finnish: Vadelma or vattu
• Raspberry is a common berry in clear-cut areas and along roadsides.
• Raspberries can be picked carefully to avoid crushing the berries.
• Ripe raspberries are red and soft. Hard raspberries are still raw.
• Before eating the berry, remember to check that it doesn’t have a worm inside.
• They are perfect in smoothies, on top of porridge and as jam.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Finland, Naturally (@finlandnaturally)

Cranberry

• In Finnish: Karpalo
• Cranberry is a red berry with a tart taste.
• It commonly grows in bogs and wetlands.
• Cranberries ripen around the transition from September to October, and you can collect them as long as the snow doesn’t cover them. After snowfall you simply won’t be able to find them!
• Cranberries are often used to make jams and juices.
• You can also eat cranberries on their own or add them to yogurt or baked goods, although their strong tart taste usually leads many to add a lot of sugar.
• Cranberries contain a lot of vitamin C and other beneficial nutrients.

Bog Bilberry

• In Finnish: Juolukka
• In Finland, there has been an urban legend that bog bilberries are toxic. However, this is not true, as the berry is very healthy.
• Bog bilberry shares some resemblance with bilberries, but the shrub is taller, and the berries are generally slightly elongated in shape, whereas blueberries are round.
• The picking season is in August.
• Bog bilberries also have a taste somewhat reminiscent of bilberries and tend to stain fingers to some extent.
• Many Finns don’t intentionally gather only bog bilberries, but they might pick them along with their blueberry harvest.
• Bog bilberry contains even more vitamin C than bilberry and is also abundant in natural antioxidants.
• It grows in wet heaths, on the edges of bogs, and along lake shores.
• Bog bilberry leaves turn magnificent red in the fall, and it’s a significant part of what’s known as ‘ruska,’ the colorful autumn foliage.

Crowberry

• In Finnish: Variksenmarja
• Crowberry is round, black, and has a glossy surface.
• Its interior remains white and crispy even when ripe.
• Crowberry is a low evergreen shrub that mainly grows in dry, somewhat dry, and fresh heaths, as well as on bog hummocks.
• Crowberry is an antioxidant powerhouse, containing more antioxidants and vitamin C than the superberry blueberry.
• The crowberry harvest season begins in August and lasts until even the snow falls.
• In Finland, crowberry is also known as ‘kaarnikka.‘
• Crowberries are often used to make juice.
• Crowberry typically yields a bountiful harvest. They’re enjoyable to snack on during nature trips, providing a small, delightful treat along the way.

Wild strawberry

• In Finnish: Metsämansikka tai ahomansikka
• The wild strawberry is a small, red, juicy, and glossy berry that easily detaches from its stem.
• If the berry is still partly or entirely white, it’s unripe.
• Wild strawberries have an extremely sweet and delicious flavor.
• Their habitats include roadside edges, meadows, forest edges, woodland areas, and clearings.
• The berries are often hidden under foliage and at the back, making them not very easy to spot. However, once you find one wild strawberry, you can be quite certain that there are more growing in the same spot.
• A Finnish tradition involves threading wild strawberries onto a strand of hay, making it easier to enjoy more at once.
• Wild strawberries are traditionally enjoyed fresh, right at the picking spot.

Now you can head to the forest or the fells to enjoy the bounties of Finnish nature and gather delicious berries as souvenirs! Have a great journey and happy berry picking!