Lingonberry

Waxy, dark-green leaves and red, juicy berries against a backdrop of lichen – what a lovely arrangement of colours in an autumnal forest.

While the lingonberry can thrive in the thickest of forests, it produces its best flower and berry yield in places where the trees do not cast too much shade over the undergrowth. Felling sites are often the best place to find lingonberries.

Lingonberries are foraged from late August to early October, and the best spots can yield up to 100–500 kg of berries per hectare. Lingonberries are quick to pick and produce a good harvest most autumns. During harvest time, big batches of lingonberries are a common sight in outdoor markets.

Lingonberries contain lots of flavonols that act as antioxidants, preventing cell oxidation. In terms of minerals, lingonberries are particularly rich in manganese. However, lingonberries are not a very good source of vitamin C, containing only 5 mg per 100 g (compared to blackcurrant, for example, which contains 120 mg of vitamin C per 100 g).

Lingonberries contain more natural sugar than bilberries. However, the berry is so acidic that the human taste buds cannot sense the sweetness of lingonberry. The berry contains a great deal of benzoic acid, a natural preservative. Thanks to benzoic acid, lingonberries can be puréed and stored in the fridge throughout winter. Lingonberries also have a pretty tough skin, which is why they can be stored fresh in the fridge for several days.

The berry also contains citric, malic, tannic and salicylic acids. Remember that the nutrient content of lingonberries increases as they ripen, which is why it is a good idea to first pick the berries that will be made into jams and jellies, and pick the rest of the berries a little later.

Lingonberry has a wide range of uses in both sweet and savoury baking and cooking. Lingonberries are traditionally used to make juice, porridge and jam. Lingonberry jam or purée is often served with savoury dishes, such as sautéed reindeer, cabbage casserole and spinach pancakes. Lingonberries are also a wonderful addition to sweet baked goods. Lingonberry and caramel are a particularly lovely combination.

Test your knowledge on Finnish red berries below.