Berry picking in the north.

Only one day after moving in to my new apartment, I left for the north. Sweden is divided into three parts, and the biggest and most northern one, is called Norrland, which translates into Northern Land. That’s where I was going, accompanying Martin and parts of his family to spend the weekend in his grandfathers cottage. The house, situated by a bog and a lake on a mountain called “The Bear Mountain”, is built by himself, starting with only a small part of it that was once a tiny store. It has very little electricity, coming only from a truck battery, so the main part of the light in the evenings comes from candles. It was awesome. The nature up there is astonishing, and it’s like a retreat from people. It’s so quiet, and in the night the sky is filled with starts you normally can’t see due to light pollution.

The main event up there was berry picking. We picked lingonberries, billberries, cranberries, juniper berries and even some mushrooms. Everything grows wild in the forests and is available for everyone thanks to a law called Allemansrätten. It means “Everyman’s right”, or “Freedome to roam”. It’s a wonderful law that makes the forests available for anyone.  I came home with 10 litres/42 cups of lingonberries, which I will turn into jam within the next couple of days. I’ll make sure to keep you posted about this national jam of Sweden and everything else I make with my lovely berries.