Lingonberry / Lowbush Cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

Family: Ericaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Creeping evergreen dwarf shrub of the boreal forest carpeted with shiny dark leaves and clusters of tart scarlet berries.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Berries

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Bright, intensely tart, tangy, and complex; sweetness develops dramatically after the first hard freeze. — Simmered with honey or maple syrup into classic lingonberry sauce; Preserved raw with a little sugar (high benzoic acid preserves them naturally); Baked into rustic northern tarts, loaves, and pemmican

Habitat & North American Range

Boreal taiga, peat bogs, subarctic tundra, and acidic coniferous muskegs. (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4)