Cloudberry

Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) is the golden treasure of our peatlands and perhaps our most valued berry. Rubus chamaemorus has many names, such as cloudberry, nordic berry, bakeapple, knotberry or knoutberry, aqpik, low-bush salmonberry and averin or evron.

The berry is particularly important in the north of Finland, even for economic reasons, and it is proportionally the most collected wild berry in Finland. Picking and selling cloudberries can lead to surprisingly good earnings.

Adapted to the short growing season of the North, the cloudberry belongs to the genus Rubus that is part of the rose family Rosaceae. The annual shoots of the cloudberry grow from an underground root system that may be up to ten years old. The shoots grow low and have folded leaves. The cloudberry flowers in May-June and the flower has five white petals. During its growth, the berry changes colour several times. At first, it is a greenish yellow, then red, and when ripe, it turns yellow, juicy, tasty and fragrant. A ripe berry is easy to pick off the stalk.

Thanks to its root system, cloudberry can take up lots of space underground. As a result, all the cloudberries on a smallish peatland may be part of the same specimen. One specimen can only grow either pistillate (female) flowers or staminate (male) flowers, which means that a cloudberry population representing only one sex will never produce berries. In exposed peatlands, the berry season is short but abundant, whereas in forests, the berries ripen more slowly and last long into the autumn. If you see larger berries, you will know that the plant was pollinated by a bumblebee. If the pollinator was a small beetle or a mosquito, the plant only produces small berries with one or two drupelets that not many people bother picking. The berries are eaten by various animals, such as thrush, willow grouse and bears, which helps the plant spread its seeds. The hard seeds of the cloudberry travel through the animal’s digestive system, ending up in a new location and getting a head start on their germination as well. The seeds of an uneaten berry are slow to germinate.

When to go picking

Cloudberries grow in all Finnish regions, but the most plentiful harvests come from Kainuu, North Ostrobothnia and Lapland. The cloudberry thrives on natural peatlands but can also be found on the edges of forest ditches and forest roads running through peatlands. The undrained peatlands of Northern Finland produce the greatest harvest.

The cloudberry season starts in mid-July in Southern Finland and early August in Northern Finland. The yield varies from one year to the next. The harvest is affected by the early flowering season of the cloudberry, especially in Northern Finland where the night frost may damage the flowers. The Galerucella sagittariae is an insect pest that affects the berry yield, particularly in Northern Finland.

Cloudberry cultivation

Cloudberries can be grown in cultivation basins lined with plastic. The edge of the basin rises 10–15 cm above ground. Holes are made in the plastic or the bottom of the basin is left open to prevent the basin from filling up with rainwater. The water table should be kept at about 30–50 cm. The substrate is porous sphagnum peat with a pH of 3.5–4.5. The plants are fertilised with a decilitre of multielement fertiliser per square metre.

Cloudberry shoots can be bought from garden centres. The cloudberry is a dioecious plant, meaning that one specimen can only grow either pistillate (female) flowers or staminate (male) flowers. To ensure a good berry yield, about 10% of the shoots should be male.

Use

Cloudberries are often considered food for special occasions, and many people like them best when fresh and processed as little as possible. Add cloudberries to porridge or unsweetened yoghurt, for example. Cloudberries can also be used in refreshing smoothies. The beautiful, bright-coloured berry is a great addition to desserts and baked goods and can be used as garnish.  Cloudberry cake is a popular dessert in parties and festivities. Cloudberry jam on leipäjuusto (Finnish bread cheese or squeaky cheese) or pancakes makes a lovely dessert. Creamy cloudberry parfait and cloudberry pie are also delicious. Cloudberry is also used to make juice and marmalade. In Finland, cloudberry is traditionally eaten with leipäjuusto, while Norwegians love it with whipped cream and sugar or in cakes, and Swedes enjoy it with ice cream. In Finnish food industry, cloudberry is used in yoghurts and other dairy products as well as baked goods and confectionery products. Cloudberry liqueur is also a popular drink in Finland.

Preservation

Cloudberry retains its nutritional properties even when frozen. Freeze the berries whole as quickly after picking as possible. A small amount of sugar will help the berry keep its colour, flavour and vitamin C. When defrosting frozen cloudberries, do it quickly. To keep the nutrients, it is recommended to deforst the berries in a microwave oven or in a water bath.

Making jam out of whole berries is also a great way to preserve cloudberries. Just like lingonberry, cloudberries naturally contain benzoic acid, which means that cloudberry purée will keep well when stored in a cool place, even though some nutrients are lost in the puréeing process.

Like other soft-skinned berries, whole cloudberries stored in the fridge go bad in just a few days.

Health benefits

Cloudberries are rich in nutritional fibre as well as vitamins E and C. Cloudberries also contain vitamin A as a carotenoid, which gives the berries their golden colour. Cloudberry contains two to four times as much vitamin C as oranges. In fact, cloudberries were used in the past to prevent scurvy. In addition, cloudberries contain B vitamins, various minerals, such as potassium, copper and magnesium, as well as phenolic acids and flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that prevent the rancidification of fatty acids and may, as a result, prevent cardiovascular diseases.

Cloudberry is rich in ellagic acid, or ellagitannin, which is a phenolic compound that is believed to have antimicrobial properties and a healthy impact on gut bacteria. Cloudberry extract has been found to prevent the growth of salmonella, staphylococcus and campylobacter. However, ellagic acid does not destroy any of the useful, probiotic gut bacteria.

Cloudberry is also rich in fibre. The soluble fibre in cloudberry has a positive effect on cholesterol and sugar metabolism. The mineral and other micronutrient content of cloudberry also promotes health. Cloudberry contains low levels of sodium.

Cloudberry seeds are large and contain more fat-soluble vitamin E than most fruits, vegetables or grains. Cloudberry seeds are used for oil that is used by the food industry as a flavouring and colouring agent. Cloudberry seed oil contains linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, both of which are important, polyunsaturated fatty acids that the body cannot produce on its own. Cloudberry seed oil is also used by the cosmetics industry as a skincare ingredient.