Gathering Berries
Cloudberries, blueberries and lingonberries abound - Enontekiö's wild berries are pure and aromatic, ripe for picking in late summer and autumn.
Thanks to the pure Arctic air, Enontekiö's natural produce is pure and aromatic, and in late summer the area's berries and mushrooms are ripe for picking.
- Blueberries ripen late July; lingonberries in the second half of August
- Cranberries are the last to arrive, at the end of September
- Grouseberries paint the fells red with autumn colour
- Berry picking is covered by Everyman's Rights
Cloudberries, Blueberries and Lingonberries Abound
Blueberries (mustikka: Vaccinium myrtillus) ripen towards the end of July. Black crowberries (variksenmarja: Empetrum nigrum) come next, then lingonberries (puolukka: Vaccinium vitis-idaea) in the second half of August. The last to arrive are cranberries (karpalo: Vaccinium oxycoccos) at the end of September.
High on the hills, grouseberries (riekonmarja: Arctostaphylos alpina) appear at the end of August, the plant that paints the fells red in autumn. Bog whortleberries (juolukka: Vaccinium uliginosum) appear around the same time. These and cranberries are likely to gain socio-economic importance across Europe in the coming years.
A way of life
Picking berries matters so much in Finland that a court has ruled on the working rights of international pickers, finding them independent entrepreneurs rather than employees.
The Arctic berry calendar
Astute berry hunters can still find cranberries in late autumn, while grouseberries lie dark and close to the ground, much like crowberries.
The economics of berry picking
The harvest supports local families and a wider commercial picking economy alike.
Ready when you are
Real wilderness, 200+ huskies, eighteen winters in.