Wild berries ripening later than usual this year
While wild strawberries are usually ripe by early July, this year there's little reason for berry enthusiasts to head into the forest just yet.
Unlike mushrooms, which are popping up earlier than expected in Estonia's forests, berry pickers are having no such luck this year.
Toomas Jaadla, the owner of Marjasoo Farm on the shores of Lake Võrtsjärv in Tartu County, said the ripening time of wild berries depends on the weather and how well the plants can prepare and grow.
After Midsummer, only those who know exactly where to look will find wild strawberries.
"This year is exceptional in two ways: last year, there was a severe drought in the middle of the summer, which set plant development back by about two weeks. The plants did not take in nutrients or grow. Wild strawberries started to give off their scent in the forest, but they could not be picked even though they smelled wonderful," he said.
"They also did not have time to prepare the next year's crop. Other plants experienced development gaps as well. Then came a long and relatively warm autumn, and all the plants kept growing. In fact, they didn't harden for winter until mid-January, but by that time their development had been erratic."
Angela Koort, a lecturer in horticulture at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, said that blueberries and wild strawberries usually ripen in early July, and lingonberries in August. But this year, the berries will not be ready at the usual time.
Koort added that there are other reasons to anticipate a later crop.
"When we talk about common blueberries or wild strawberries, the yield is affected by the cool spring weather, which was colder this year than usual. That's caused a prolonged blooming period," she said.
Koort said the plant's growing region also affects the harvest. In South Estonia, berries may ripen earlier than in the North, but that still depends on temperature.
Even cultivated crops are not faring well this year, according to Toomas Jaadla, the Marjasoo farm owner. This summer, there is practically no cultivated blueberry harvest to speak of.
As for the market price of wild berries, he says it is determined not by the local yield but by the tons of berries brought in from other countries. The amount harvested from Estonian forests does not significantly affect pricing.
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Editor: Helen Wright
