What are Lingonberries?
Lingonberries are small red fruits which are closely related to cranberries. In fact, some people call lingonberries “mountain cranberries” or “dry bog cranberries,” which can lead to some confusion since there are some differences between the plants and their fruits. Lingonberries can be found widely distributed across the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and they are a popular food berry, especially in Scandinavia.
Definition: Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) are to Scandinavians what blackberries are to Americans – an abundant wild fruit free for the taking by anyone with a basket, a harvesting fork, and the patience to pick through and clean their harvest. Produced by low, evergreen shrubs throughout Scandinavia’s forests, the tart red berries are much smaller and juicier than their distant cousin, the cranberry. Bursting with natural preservatives and pectin, lingonberries were invaluable to earlier generations of Scandinavians, for they could be kept for months at room temperature simply by placing them in jars of water (vattlingon) or by stirring the raw berries with a small amount of sugar to make rårörda lingon, an easy lingonberry jam (no cooking required). If looking for lingonberries or lingonberry jam in ethnic European food markets, you may also find them called red whortleberries, cowberries, fox berries, mountain cranberries, mountain bilberries, or partridgeberries.Pronunciati
Lingonberries are small red fruits which are closely related to cranberries. In fact, some people call lingonberries “mountain cranberries” or “dry bog cranberries,” which can lead to some confusion since there are some differences between the plants and their fruits. Lingonberries can be found widely distributed across the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and they are a popular food berry, especially in Scandinavia. The English name for this fruit is taken directly from the Swedish lingon. Botanists know lingonberries as Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and some people also refer to them as “cowberries,” perhaps because they have traditionally been used as forage by cows and reindeer. Lingonberry relish is also a traditional accompaniment for many meats in Scandinavia, much like cranberry sauce in more Southern climates. The lingonberry bush is a small evergreen shrub with a creeping growth habit which prefers moist, acidic soil. It is often found in forests, and it may grow in h
Lingonberries like to be grown in acidic soil. The plants can tolerate some shade and are hardy to zone 2! It will take about 1-2 years before your lingonberries begin producing fruit, but it’s worth the wait: you will get 2 crops, one in mid-summer (around July) and the second in late fall (thru November)! Their compact size makes lingonberry plants perfect for containers and window boxes. Plant them as a border plant 1&1/2 feet apart, in lieu of boxwoods, hollies or dwarf conifers. Lingonberry plants can also be used in place of of ground covers like vincas or varieties of sedum.
