Up until not too long ago we mostly produced our own food. Even if everyone of course can’t farm their own wheat or keep their own hens, there is surprisingly much you can find in the forest and on the land. You can consume both consciously and sustainably by learning what to find in the forest and on the land!
Berries
- We have tons of berries in Sweden. By picking what is available and eating berries during season you are making the environment a huge service, because fresh berries are often transported by plane from the country where it is farmed so they don’t go bad.
- Even berries picked in Sweden are often transported long distances. So why not get some exercise, a calm moment in the forest and treats to take home with you instead of buying?
- Do you want to save some berries for darker days – make juice, jam or freeze it!
- Blueberries often grow in spruce forests and are very common in our forests. Maybe you already have a good blueberry-spot? Blueberries become ripe during July in the southern parts of the country and during August in the more northern parts. They are great for freezing or making jam.
- You can often find wild strawberries on the roadside or grassland, and they ripen early in July. These sweet berries are also great to farm.
- Do you live near a mire or bog? Go out looking for cranberries or cloudberries! Cranberries are ripe from September and onwards and cloudberries ripen in rounds during July and August.
- Berries that you can find in gardens are among others currants, gooseberries, cherries and aronia berries, that are actually often used in hedges in residential areas in towns. These somewhat bitter berries are great for jams and can be dried in room temperature.
Fruits
- During fall many apple, pear and plum trees are practically brimming with fruit.
- Many trees are in public places and an easy way to find them is through The Fruit Map (in Swedish).
- You could also ask if you can pick fruits from someone’s tree or take some fallen fruit, if it seems like they won’t come to use.
- And now the only thing left is to make marmalade, juice, apple sauce, chutney, apple rings, pie, jam… You name it! Ecologically farmed, only transported from the tree to your home.
- To use what we have instead of importing or being farmed in industrial greenhouses makes a big difference!
Mushrooms
- Is there anything tastier than fried chanterelles on toast? Stews and soups are among the things you can use them for! We are lucky to have loads of edible mushrooms in Sweden.
- Funnel chanterelles, regular chanterelles, cep, birch boletes, sheep polypores, black trumpets and hedgehog mushrooms are just a few of our food mushrooms.
- Please remember to be careful with what mushrooms you pick and eat! There are many that are poisonous, so only eat the ones that you are entirely sure you recognize and know to be safe to eat. If you are even a little unsure, don’t.
Other wild plants
- Much of what we consider to be weeds are perfectly fine to eat. Stinging nettles are a good example, the thin leaves are picked (preferably with gloves) and can both be parboiled and used for nettle soup or dried and sprinkled on top of yogurt.
- Other wild plants that can be used are dandelion flowers that can be made into both marmalade and juice. Young birch leaves, sorrel, spanish chervil and ramson – to name a few of the wild plants that we can eat and use!
- There is a lot of literature on the subject of edible wild plants, read, become inspired and get to know them!
Informative links (in Swedish)
Page updated 2021.
