Eastern Norway – a paradise for mushroom and berry pickers

Long ago, when biologist Kirsten Winge decided to quit her job as a scientist and explore nature instead, she moved to a spot by Osensjøen lake, one of the most peaceful parts of Hedmark in Eastern Norway.

Hiking and harvesting in the wilderness

“It’s quiet here, but you can keep yourself quite busy if you like to taste local ingredients directly from nature. It’s difficult to imagine a more sustainable activity. Nowhere else have I discovered such huge amounts of wild berries, fruits, mushrooms, herbs, and other natural ingredients, in addition to the game my husband and I are able to hunt,” says Kirsten.

Her deep interest for real-life biology has resulted in two successful books Det smaker av høst (The Tastes of Autumn) and Den store høsteboka (The Big Book of Harvesting), amongst many other projects that have made her a nationwide authority when it comes to harvesting the natural way.

Kirsten’s writing on local ingredients and the natural tastes of autumn were given a major boost when she met a hunter more than 20 years ago. Arne Nohr also became her husband husband and the couple now spends their days in the wilderness harvesting from nature on many levels.

“To me, harvesting everything from berries to game is based on an eternal perspective. I make sure that the quantity I take away from the forest has not deprived me of the opportunity to do the same thing next year. One should never become greedy,” says Kirsten.

She spots the odd deer outside her kitchen window, and moose are everywhere. It's mostly deer that are hunted here each autumn. A rich variety of local game also includes grouse, black grouse, and the rarer hazel grouse.

One of Kirsten's favourite meals is roast beef of moose, a three-course dinner prepared in an outdoor cooking pit, totally without electricity.

Kirsten keeps a well-developed vegetable garden, but her real garden is the immense nature.

“Hedmark has everything we need, and we think more people should come and make use of the ingredients that you can harvest yourself when you go hiking. Respect for the animals and nature is essential.”

Last autumn Kirsten and her husband harvested 60 kilos of cloudberries without too much effort. “Before moving out here I usually hiked about 10 kilometres to collect one single kilo, which I, at the time, thought was worth the effort”, she adds.

Kirsten has fond memories of her childhood in Trøndelag, where she grew up harvesting in the forests with her then retired grandparents, who moved into their cabin for the whole summer and autumn seasons.

“Fruit and berries in Norway have remarkable growing conditions as they are exposed to a lot of sunlight during long summer and early autumn days before being harvested. I believe our fruit and berries contain more sweetness than in other countries. They also have a thinner peel,” explains Kirsten.

Kirsten mentions the many varieties of berries you can find in Hedmark, including raspberries, lingonberries, blueberries, and cloudberries. “It's also often are often possible to pick wild strawberries later in the summer here than in other parts of the country,” she says.

“Several kinds of berries can be found and harvested throughout the autumn, right up to the day when the first snow covers them.”