The NO 1. thing in Finnish summer in my opinion (right after the sun of course) are The Finnish Berries. They are sweet, fresh and healthy with tons of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants.
Here's my Top 10 list of them + tips when and where to pick them:
- Wild strawberries (they are the first berries to ripen in the beginning of July and have VERY sweet and exquisite flavor)
- Strawberries (THESE ARE SO GOOD, especially Polka-cultivar, which is very sweet. Ripen in the beginning of July)
- Raspberries (July-August)
- Cherries (in the beginning of July)
- Cloudberries (July)
- Blueberries (in the end of July)
- Currants (August)
- Gooseberries (August)
- Lingonberries (September)
- Cranberries (in the end of September-November)
The greatest thing with berries is that most of them grow wild and you are able to pick them freely due to the Everyman's right (as long as they are not protected, and the ones I listed are not). Some people enjoy picking berries (and mushroom, etc.) and others like to skip that part and buy them ready from the market. I suggest you pick them yourself if you ever travel here, so you get to wander in the Finnish forest at the same time and get an authentic experience. After all, forests are the thing here in the country of vast green forests and thousand lakes. (read more: https://www.visitfinland.com/about-finland/). Head to the forest at least for wild strawberries -which grow on trail banks, and blueberries which grow in vast areas in the forest. Raspberries can be found on the fringes of the forest and in headlands (just like wild strawberries). They're slower to pick because of the sharp spikes that grow in the branches. They taste great so the job is worthwhile, just be patient!
We found a real goldmine of wild strawberries last summer
Another berries in the list are somewhat easier to get, since they grow in gardens, like cherries, currants and gooseberries, or are farmed in large fields like strawberries. Cloudberries make an exception and are harder to find, since they grow only in certain types of swamps (mostly in treeless and wet swamps). Their picking time is relatively short as well, which it makes it even harder to get them. For that reason they are also one of the most expensive berries sold in Finland.
All of these berries taste amazing as they stand, but there are also so many great dishes you can use them for. One traditional summer delicacy in Finland is blueberry-, or strawberry-milk. Probably all of us have eaten that as a kid in our summer cottages. It's just cupful of plain & cold milk loaded with berries and some sugar if needed. Although I'm not a fan of milk, I must admit eating this brought good childhood memories to my mind and made me feel warm and fussy inside.
If you want to bake something with berries you may obviously prepare a good old blueberry pie (or currant pie) out of them and serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream. Cloudberries are typically used to make a jam that's often served with Finnish squeaky cheese as a dessert. And gooseberries BTW taste really good frozen! The flavor and texture is similar with popsicle, but they're obviously much healthier, and I like to eat them in or after sauna, or when I'm having a hangover. This is probably just one of my weird habits…
Another great Finnish berry is lingonberry, which also grows in our forests. One of the reasons I like them, is that they are very versatile. Finns usually froze them and use them around the year to compliment savory dishes, and/or make some desserts like whipped pudding like porridge (which is absolutely amazing) out of them:
This is usually served with milk also, because lingonberries taste quite sour. As I mentioned, I don't like milk, so I always leave it out. I like their bitter taste anyway. You can also juice them, as well as cranberries, to get some nutrient-loaded drink that is supposed to have many health benefits for your heart and digestion for example, due to their inflammatory effect.
You don't know what Finnish summer tastes like until you have tried all these berries! And of course there's plenty of more summery delicacies in Finland, like 'new potatoes' and rhubarb, but they don't fall into berry category so I left them out. Maybe I'll introduce some other Finnish treats in another food-related post.
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