Travellive 7 - 2018

RARE CLOUDBERRY AND
RASPBERRY
Cloudberries are a
precious gift that
Mother Nature has
generously bestowed
on the Northern
people living in the cold with little
sunshine all year long. These little
berries are incredibly nutritious:
vitamin C levels double that of
oranges, they contain more fiber
than any other wild berry, are full of
carotene, omega 3, vitamins B and E,
minerals such as phosphorus, iron,
magnesium, calcium, they contain
six types of fatty acids... Cloudberries
also help to prevent the oxidation of
cells, assisting the body in repair and
maintaining youth.
As cloudberries are rare, they
are not easy to find. They only
grow in marshes in the Northern
Hemisphere, as close to the North
Pole as possible. As they grow in
swamp-like conditions, it is hard
to walk around, especially with
mosquitoes buzzing near, their
wings beating like a helicopter!
Nordic "tools" harvesting
cloudberries comprise of rubber
boots, waterproof (and antimosquito)
jackets, mosquito
repellant and countless buckets for
the finished product.
Cloudberries grow in large clusters,
close to the edge of bogs and marshes,
each stem produces only one fruit.
Cloudberry season usually begins
at the end of June, extending to the
end of August, but varies by latitude.
The higher the latitude is, the later
cloudberry season becomes, though,
it is never after summer.
Another summer "berry ambassador"
is the raspberry. Raspberries are a
shrub, often mistaken for mulberry,
which is a tree. Raspberries grow
wild along forest paths, even in
bushes along roads in the city.
Like other summer berries,
raspberries are a sun-loving shrub.
The fruit ripens red under full sun,
interspersing between serrated dark
green leaves, swinging in the wind as
if inviting someone to pick them.
Perhaps among the berries,
raspberries are the most accessible
for children. Nordic platinum haired
babies with clear blue eyes and red
lips can easily follow their parents
into the forest. When they meet the
small bushes, just cresting above
their little heads, they cheer as chicks,
rushing into the bushes to pick the
ripe sweet fruits. Since they become
familiar to the forest at a young age,
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TRAVELLIVE