Every summer and autumn, Norwegian forests are filled with tons of wild blueberries.
Packed with antioxidants and other nutrients, these delicious berries grow everywhere, from the coastal lowlands to the high mountains. However, the timing of the blueberry season varies across the country from early July through September.
I love picking wild blueberries to make delicious, homemade blueberry jam. Continue reading to learn how you can take advantage of the Norwegian blueberry season.
What types of blueberries are found in Norway?
The blueberries found in the Norwegian wilderness come from the Vaccinium myrtillus shrub.
It is one of the most dominant species of forest shrub found in Norway which can be located from the southern lowlands, all the way up to the mountains. In fact, it can be found at a height of up to 1700 meters (5500 ft) above the ocean.
After blooming during spring, it fruits in summer or autumn, producing multiple blue/purple berries with a deep red/purple flesh. While these berries are known as blueberries in Norwegian, they are known as bilberries in English.
They differ from the American blueberries, which are the most common commercially grown type of blueberry, known as Vaccinium corymbosum. These tend to be larger and have white flesh with only the skin being blue.
When is blueberry season in Norway?
The season for Norwegian blueberries varies all across the country, mainly due to the difference in climate and elevation.
Typically, the berries ripen first in the south and south-eastern lowlands during July. The actual timing can vary from early to mid-July, depending on the temperature and rainfall.
The remainder of the country including the north has its season during august. Ranging from early to mid-august in the middle parts of Norway to late august in the north, such as Troms and Finnmark.
The berries in the mountains are the last ones to ripen from late August through September. Here is a list of when to expect blueberries to be in season throughout Norway:Kristiansand: July-early August
- Vestfold (Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik): July-early August
- Oslo: July-early August
- Drammen: July-early August
- Østfold (Moss, Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg): July-early August
- Innlandet (Hamar, Lillehammer): Late July- through August
- Bergen: July-early August
- Trøndelag: Late July- through August
- Nordland (Bodø): August – Mid September
- Troms og finnmark (Tromsø): Late August – Through September
- Mountains (Above 600-700m MLS): Late August – Through September
Optimal conditions
The amount of blueberries each season can vary significantly. Certain seasons are better than others depending on several weather factors.
There are several factors that play a role in determining whether the blueberry season will be plentiful. First of all, the shrubs should avoid frost, during the winter.
Then spring should be temperate with a good amount of bumblebees which play an important role in pollination during spring.
While the blueberry season can be good or bad across the whole country, there can also be Huge local variations. It is not uncommon for good seasons to follow bad ones as the bush needs a year of rest.
This came on display during the 2020 blueberry season when the forests were packed with huge juicy blueberries, after a pretty dismal 2019 season.
Where can you pick Norwegian blueberries?
As mentioned, the Norwegian blueberry bush is the dominant forest scrub in the country, which essentially means you can find them in any patch of forest from north to south, high to low.
According to Norwegian law, all Norwegians, as well as visitors, have the right to roam. This also includes the right to harvest any berries they might encounter for their own consumption.
This means that you can take a walk in any path of forest throughout the country and pick delicious, wild, Norwegian blueberries once they are in season.
Equipment
Besides dressing for a hike in the forest and wearing clothing appropriate for the weather, you only need your hands and a container or plastic bag to pick blueberries.
That being said, if you want to speed things up you might just want to get a berry picker which will enable you to pick many kilos/liters without much effort.
Another neat piece of equipment that comes in handy is a berry rinser. It is inevitable that you get some leaves and small, unripe berries along with your catch. The berry rinser helps you remove these and rinse your catch all that much faster.
