Are wild blueberries really wild? How are they different from cultivated blueberries? We get asked these questions quite a lot at Viking and without fail, we fall into an exuberant explanation every time.
Yes! Viking Imports wild berries really are wild! They grow in the wilderness, unaided by human intervention and are foraged there sustainably in the late summers by expert, local pickers.
Yes! Our Wild Blueberries and Wild Mixed Berries have a completely different life than the big pithy orbs found in the conventional grocery store.
Tiny in form and black-purple in hue, their flavour is also more intense and tart compared to the cultivated varieties. It's the signature flavor of the pristine forests across the Balkans: Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Here, stewardship of the forests is yielding precious results after decades of environmental regeneration, which has taken place since the 1990s.
This dedication to preservation is effective because we lab test our berries to verify that they are completely free of pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals.
Forests of plenty
The eastern Balkan Mountain Range of Serbia is a fortress of mythic natural beauty, thick with ancient history and endless movement. Countless waterfalls bound down limestone cliffs, echoing past black mouths of caves to rush into breathtaking rivers.
On the slopes of Gojila, where the undauntable Studenica river breaks through the mountain, high altitude lakes mysteriously recede in the rain and delightfully reappear during dry periods. These mountains, still pristine and mysterious, have called to heroes and inspired storytellers since prehistoric times.
The large mammals of Europe – brown bears, deer, and wild boar – all thrive in the dramatic seasons and ever-changing mountain weather. As do the tiny, brilliant wild berries that capture the tenacious beauty of the Balkans.
The thing about wild berries
Wild berries are abundant with phytonutrients, antioxidants and minerals as well as vitamin C and folate, offering the pure, concentrated benefits of their environment. Low in sugar, wild berries contain more flavonoids and soluble fiber than their cultivated cousins. Flavonoids cast a breadth of benefits, such as anxiolytic, sedative, anticonvulsant and analgesic properties.
Raised by nature and nature alone, the wild berries that grow on the Eastern Balkan Mountainsides are full natural protectants – phytochemical properties that are only developed from adapting to the hardship and blessings of the Balkans. From winters of impassible snow to the buzzy, warm air of summer, every element, pollinator and late-season storm is responsible for the renowned flavour of these berries.
US health writer Anthony William, of Medical Medium fame, goes so far as to describing wild blueberries as holding ‘ancient and sacred information from the heavens’, and offering a ‘benefit unobtainable from any other [food] source, for every part of the body.’ Whoa! Such is the power of the untamed.
The season on Gojila, where Viking Imports’ supplier PaMin sources many of its wild berries, starts just after the snow has melted. This is when determined little white strawberry flowers open, to capture the early spring light. These tiny red berries, no bigger than the tip of a child’s finger, burst with sweet-tart exuberance. When combined with the bright, unmistakeable complexity of our blueberries and the perfection of our wild blackberries they create a complete and healthy symphony of pure flavour in one spoonful.
On the lush forest floor, wild blueberry bushes nestle low to the ground and soak its rich, tannic tea. Each blueberry shrub is a hardy little miracle. Their lithe rhizomes grow laconically in the easy summer heat, and toughen in the chill of the autumn air – all the while building reserves to both remain resilient against the elements, grow, and produce some of the best berries in the world.
Supporting local communities
At the vast forest line, the wild strawberries grow alongside wild blackberries and develop beneficial phytonutrients without the aid of any pesticides or fertilizers. For many (you’ll see) these are the blackberries that define what a blackberry should taste like. Compact thanks to nature’s unending efficiency, their unexpected and wholehearted sweetness inspire the kind of joy that instantly creates a memory of surprised delight.
The rich perfection of PaMin’s blackberries is largely in part due to the biodiversity and purity of their environment, yet just as key is when they are harvested. As the local harvesters know, wild blackberries will never ripen after they are picked. Accordingly, each picker is taught to inspect each berry for a uniform color before it is picked.
From June to September, PaMin’s expert pickers – residents of the area and members of its community – bend low to collect the blueberries without the use of a comb or any other tool. Well-trained hands with lifelong experience gently pluck the tiny, ripe berries without crushing them.
While our workers do clean up the forest floor of debris and any foreign material, any interference to the lifecycle of the wild plants of the forest is prohibited. Watering, pruning, weeding, or fertilizing the plants is forbidden is strictly forbidden ensuring that the shrubs remain wild and self-reliant.
PaMin is dedicated to their knowledgeable harvesters and understands that food is only as good as its source and the people who help bring it to the table. We are proud of our wild berries in part because we are proud to have such a long relationship with a company like PaMin who agrees that truly good food sustains body, soul, friendships, and the environment.
Credits:
Created with an image by Stefano Zaccaria - "Tara river canyon in Durmitor National Park, Montenegro"