What’s in a name? That which we call a lingonberry
By any other name would be as healthy.
~ William Shakesberry
Cowberries grow in Cow Bay. Of course they do, you say. Where else would cowberries grow? Well, in a lot of places actually. They’re found in most countries located in the circumpolar expanse that encompasses the arctic tundra and the sub-arctic regions of the boreal forest (known as the taiga in Russia). Vaccinium vitis-idaea goes by a number of names: partridgeberry, foxberry, redberry, lingonberry, quail berry, csejka berry, mountain bilberry, mountain cranberry, lowbush cranberry and… cowberry.
Regardless of what it is called, this tart red berry is brimming full of anti-oxidants. Native peoples and Scandinavians have known this for some time, but North Americans are just catching up on the news, making the lingonberry the new superstar natural food recommended for lowering bad cholesterol and fighting cancer.
Dr. Oz puts lingonberries in a smoothie with almond milk while Scandinavians (even IKEA) and Newfoundlanders make them into a jam/preserve which can be spread on toast or served with venison, ideally reindeer meat. However, I enjoy the berries fresh off the vine, their flavor being a blend of blueberry and cranberry. Frost enhances their flavor but makes them more mushy. I also find them tasty crushed fresh and sprinkled with sugar as a topping for vanilla ice-cream.
This evergreen vine often grows in boggy places. The ones I found were on or near deadfall trees in locations many would consider scrub wastelands. As old growth forests on the edge of wetlands are destroyed to make way for new ‘developments,’ I’m sure these wonderful berries will become less common here in Cow Bay Nova Scotia, and consequently even more prized for their healthful properties.
Interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever had one…
Dawn, they may not grow in the Pacific Northwest. Your forests hold other types of treasures 😉
I like the mushy berry, sugar, ice cream suggestion.
How come you’ve never fixed that for me ? 🙂
Sybil, I found them too late in the season to be able to pick enough to allow for more than a taste this year. I wasn’t alone when I was picking them and my little helper got the lion’s share. He did manage to help me pick a lot of wild cranberries though. I’ll have to bake some cranberry fingers for you to sample this week.
Lovely and delicious berries (airelles in French) we eat mainly with venison but also as a jam or a sauce for desserts. I just read a book about Finland and they seem to be very popular and appreciated over there too. Nature never ceases to share gifts with us. Have a pleasant week !
Isabelle, so you enjoy them in Switzerland too! ‘Airelles’ is a lovely word that sounds like it’s describing a heavenly delight. I’ve read that the Finns also use them in liqueurs.
Hope you have a good week too!
I’ll have to look for these now:)
Grace, the leaves are evergreen and the berries will stay on the vine after the frost, so you may stumble across them in the woods into the winter months if they’re not eaten by wild animals.
I’ve never tried Lingonberries – or Cowberries, for that matter – but they sounds delicious *and* brimful of goodness!
Isn’t it a pity that, by destroying our natural habitat, we are causing the decline and even extinction of a whole lot of species – even more of a pity when they actually have health-giving and healing properties…
Reggie, until my son in Newfoundland sent me some ‘partridgeberry jam’ earlier this month, I hadn’t tried them either. I loved its wild flavor and decided to search them out in the woods.
Destroying natural habitats is such a shame. I cringe when I think of what was destroyed to create my house here on the edge of the bog. I’m trying to let the wild things grow again, but it will never be the same as it once was.
It’s funny, I’ve always heard these little ones called Wintergreen berries/Winter berries or Tea berries. They are so delicious in any case! I wish I had the luxury of being out in the woods right now.
Heavenward Child, they are delicious by any name. Hoping you have an opportunity to get out into the woods sometime soon 🙂
Lost in translation at first. Dictionaries translate lingonberry and every other -berry differently. Found out what it was with a Latin name. Yeah, it’s tasty. We love to make jam of it, sterilize and eat in winter when we are sick.
Nadezhda, that is so cool that you use it for medicinal purposes. Thanks so much for that bit of information.
Very interesting! ‘Didn’t know lingonberries and partridgeberries were the same thing.
Catharus, berries of every kind seem to go by a myriad of names, and these are no exception. Nice to see you here again 🙂
Hi,
I am from Mongolia, a cold place bordering on Siberia and full (still!) of lingoberries (and absolutely heavenly wild blueberries). We gather lingonberries very late in fall, sometimes after the first snow. They are so beautiful against snow — dark red of the berries and glossy dark green of the leaves!
We keep them frozen or in the fridge, in glass cans, layered with sugar. In latter case they give a very delicious juice. I take spoonsfuls of frozen or sugared berries, put in a glass of boiling water and use as hot drink good for your cold, or cool and use as a delicious and healthy drink. Good or kids! Adjust the amounts of berries and sugar to your taste and health preferences. The dried leaves make a similarly healthy tea. Recently made a pie (I typically use recipes from The Joy of Cooking) with frozen llingonberries (had them in the freezer since last winter!). Turned out delicious! Just remember that the berries yield lots of juice. And are tart.
This is apart from making sauces (e.g. for meat dishes or desserts) and jams, as described by other friends above.
This is the first time ever I am contributing to a discussion forum. And want to thank all of you for just being out there.
Jama, thank you so much for leaving your insights here. They are indeed beautiful against the snow.
A lingonberry pie sounds wonderful. I’ve often used The Joy of Cooking too 🙂
I did not know about using the dried leaves for tea. I’ll have to give that a try. Thanks again for commenting all the way from Mongolia 🙂
thank you for a warm welcome! I joined facebook a year ago because a friend of mine found me through my sister’s facebook presence after 40 years (!) since we last met. but facebook appeares a bit overwhelming to me. being part of smaller forum seems to be a friendly fun. william shakesberry is good!
i hope the western world — apart from scandinavian countries which seem to know the plant — will also start owning such a natural miracle as the sea buckthorn berries (Hippophae rhamnoides). we have them in mongolia and use as lingonberries. sea buckthorn will give you lots of vitamin c and e, its oil will help healing all your skin injuries including the nasty eczema and also in fighting wrinkles, perhaps better than anything else. the bush is thorny and makes a highly safe screen and the berries that fully ripen by november are absolutely beautiful — bright orange in branch-hugging clusters. cheers.