Gathering blueberries

Autumn is here and as always I am ever so excited. It is my favorite season and it is the perfect time of the year to head out on nearby adventures and short excursions. Why? Because the forest is full of free goods waiting to be gathered! The promise of mushrooms, lingonberries and blueberries pull me in amongst the dense fir trees and lush foliage.

It’s such a wonderful time to be outdoors since the air is a bit cooler, clearer and more fresh. It it easier to breathe and I feel more calm during fall. It’s time to harvest, gather and dry, parboil or make jam in order to make sure the supplies are full come winter. It’s oh so lovely to spend my days making sure I take care of what nature has to offer.

A year ago I spent quite a few hours in the forest with my mother in law gathering blueberries. The wind was quite, the sun shone and the forest was quiet as it could be. No birds chirped, no insects buzzed and only the sound of a lonesome raven echoed amongst the trees. To enter into the forest was very calming and much needed – I felt my energy storage being refilled. That I get to return home with buckets full of forest treasures is merely a wonderful bonus.

This has to be one of my favorite berries. I like picking them and I love the lovely shade of purple that stains your fingers (and possibly your mouth) afterwards. They are delicious to eat as they are and very beneficial. I use them to make jam, pies, smoothies, muffins or I just sprinkle them over my breakfast porridge or pancakes. Yum!

A nice perk about being outdoors gathering berries is of course the obligatory coffee break – the Swedish fika. It’s a must on a trip like this! Everything tastes so much better when you enjoy it outside after working hard. We brought fruit, cookies and coffee and enjoyed a nice break in the sun before we decided to gather some more berries.