Berry season expected to be good across Iceland

Berry season is expected to be better than average across most of Iceland, according to berry enthusiast Sveinn Rúnar Hauksson in comments to mbl.is.

“The berries are coming through the spring well. The spring was exceptionally good, with temperature records set in many places in May,” Sveinn said.

He said spring conditions have a significant effect on berry growth, recalling that a severe cold spell in June last year badly damaged crowberries. This year, the plants largely escaped similar damage across the country.

According to Sveinn, this summer’s cold spells affected crowberries more than bilberries. He expects crowberries may be harder to find, although he said many people particularly enjoy them and that their juice is excellent.

The berries may also ripen earlier than usual this year. Berry season normally begins in the final week of August and continues for about three weeks into September, but the timing depends on when night frosts arrive.

Sveinn said that reports of night frost do not necessarily mean all berries across Iceland have frozen, noting that unfrozen berries may still be found on hillsides.

He urged people to pick berries by hand at first rather than using berry combs, saying this makes it easier to select ripe berries instead of filling the combs with unripe ones.