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| « Hiking
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Berry picking, that goes under the every man's rights, is an autumn hobby for many Finns. You set off for a berry picking hike as to get some recreation, relaxation as well as to collect goodies rich in vitamins for deep freeze storing for winter. According to the Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA), the trip to the berry- and mushroom-forest sites is 4 km for Finns at average, and half of the Finnish people lives within about a kilometre from their best berry sites and mushroom-rich forests. Picking berries is our third most popular outdoor hobby, even though its popularity has declined lately. Nevertheless, more than half of the Finns does berry-picking, an activity preferred more by the aged than by the young, and more by women than by men. At average, berry-pickers go to the woods 8 times a year - the berry yields of the given year do have an influence, though, on how frequently the pickers go. The more berries in the woods, the more pickers will be eager to go. Euros for Berries Diligent pickers can make nice extra income by selling their berries. A lot of friends and relatives will surely buy gladly some berries from acquaintances. When dealing with selling great amounts, it is worthwhile to scan the ads about purchase willingness in the local newspapers. About 50 million kilos of forest berries are picked annually in Finland, an amount of which a third goes for sales. The most important forest berries are blueberry, lingonberry, and cloudberry, their share of the commercially picked berries being 98%. Leave Prepared for the Woods When going picking berries it is worth to select your clothing as required by the weather conditions. Long pants, long-sleeved shirts or a coat and boots will do for a good start. For the berries you will need containers and a manual berry-harvester for quick picking. It is wise to take some food, your cell phone, and your mosquito repellent with you. Sources:
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