Early potatoes top Finnish Midsummer shopping lists

Early potatoes are flying off Finnish supermarket shelves ahead of Midsummer, with sales surging in stores across the country, Yle reports.

At a K-Supermarket in Sodankylä, just 20 bags of early potatoes sold last Thursday. By Midsummer Eve, that number had jumped to 400. In Helsinki’s Kannelmäki Prisma, sales of loose, pre-washed potatoes increased fivefold in a single week.

Google search data mirrors the trend, with annual spikes in queries for early potatoes and recipes as Midsummer approaches.

Retailers confirm the pattern. “Early potatoes, Finnish strawberries, and a bunch of onions—that’s pretty much all you need for Midsummer,” said Anni Huurinainen, a shopkeeper at Muhos K-Supermarket, where sales have doubled compared to the previous week.

Loose, pre-washed potatoes are the top seller. In Helsinki’s Haaga K-Supermarket, early potato sales have multiplied in the lead-up to the holiday. “Sales have increased several times over compared to a normal day,” said store manager Susanna Virta.

In central Helsinki, however, the Midsummer rush is quieter. At K-Supermarket Kamppi, shopper numbers have dipped as residents head to summer cottages. Still, customers stock up on domestic Jazzy potatoes and Swedish pre-washed early potatoes, which are now more affordable than earlier in June.