How to enjoy Harvesting Season in Rovaniemi?

Cloudberry (hilla or lakka in Finnish) is the sought-after treasure in Lapland’s forests and perhaps the most prized of our domestic berries. Cloudberry thrives on natural wetlands. Cloudberries are often referred to as “Arctic gold” due to their rarity and high nutritional value. They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, making them a powerful superfood.

Blueberry is the easiest Arctic Superfood to find in Lapland. It’s small, tasty, and full of vitamins and antioxidants. Blueberries can be picked from July until early September right up until the temperatures fall below zero at nights. Deep red lingonberry sustains below-zero degrees and can be harvested normally until October. Both berries are used in many local dishes and often eaten either fresh, dried or in jams.

For fungi-lovers, Lapland’s forests offer boletis, many types of russulas, trumpet chantarelles and false morels, to mention some. If not prepared immediately at home, locals either dry or freeze mushrooms for later use. Pasta, pies, soup and risotto are the typical mushroom dishes. In the forest the simple rule goes: Do not pick or eat anything you’re not 100% sure about! Our guides will help you with the identification of mushrooms.

Generally, Everyone’s Rights allows you to pick berries and mushrooms almost everywhere, with a few conditions: It is not allowed to cause disturbance or harm others or make an open fire on someone else’s land without permission. Also Natural Parks as well as other protected areas may have rules for nature protection or other reasons. By booking your harvesting trip from some of our fellow companies, you make sure that your excursion to Finnish forest is done sustainably.