Blueberries have emerged earlier than usual this year and in southern Sweden, it's the best season right now. Out, pick and enjoy – experts are advising.
If you live far down in our elongated country, it may be high time to go out and pick blueberries. The blueberry season is indeed earlier than usual, according to forest researcher Ola Langvall.
In southern Sweden, there are the most berries to pick right now. It started already after Midsummer. The further north you go, the later it becomes. I myself am in Dalarna and here we have to wait another week, he says.
It's the warm early summer weather that has made the blueberries start to show up, as P4 Dalarna has reported.
Positive health effects
Blueberries thrive in the changing weather with sun and rain alternating.
Then the berries ripen – but also become very large because there is water in the soil, says Ola Langvall.
Picking and eating blueberries can also be good for your health, according to Annica Långvall, a trained dietitian and researcher in sustainable gastronomy at Umeå University.
They contain a lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that protect against various lifestyle diseases. If you have the opportunity to go out and pick, it gives a double health effect because you're also out in nature and getting some exercise, she says.
Cloudberry season approaching
If you're wondering what to do with all the berries you find, Annica Långvall has several tips.
We make a lot of breakfast smoothies at home and mix the blueberries with yogurt or curd. Then you can of course have them in baked goods or make your own jam, of course.
Another tip is not to freeze all the blueberries together but rather in small batches. Then it's easier to use a little at a time when you need it.
Besides blueberries, cloudberries and strawberries are also starting to appear in their places. A little later, lingonberries will also come.
So it's just a matter of going out and picking, says Ola Langvall.
About 17 percent of Sweden's area is covered with blueberry bushes, and the plant is common throughout the country.
The blueberry plant tolerates shade well and grows readily on acidic soil in forest and heathland terrain, where it lives in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi.
Botanically, the blueberry bush is a dwarf tree, with a main stem and branches that form a leaf crown.
Blueberries contain high levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese, and also high levels of antioxidants.
The flowering takes place in May-June. The fruit, which is a berry, is black and usually covered with a light blue wax coating.
Source: National Encyclopedia
