Scientific Name:
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Common Names:
Bog cranberry - Lingonberry
Cowberry - Low bush cranberry
Mountain berry - Moss berry
Cree Name:
Wesakemina (Bitter Berry)

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Plant Species Identification:
General
Dwarf, mat-forming, evergreen shrub
10-20 cm tall; many branches, creeping
or trailing.
Leaves
Leathery, alternate leaves
Narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped
6-15 mm long, rounded at the tip
Shiny, dark green above, pale with dark
dots below
Edges smooth, rolled under
Flowers
Few, in short clusters at branch tips;
white to pinkish-red, bell shaped
4 short lobes, about 5 mm long
Appear from late May to July
Fruit
Red berries, 5-10 mm across, edible
but high in benzoic acid, very healthy
for human consumption.
Habitat
Raised areas in bogs, glacial deposits,
eskers, rocky barrens, open slopes and
dry woods; common across the northern
boreal forest, north past the tree line to
southern Arctic islands; circumpolar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harvester Certification:
The Land of Little Sticks Boreal Harvesters
Association is implementing a certification
program for Lingonberry harvesting.
Sustainable harvesting methods will be
taught as pickers must respect plants and
the surrounding environment.  Plants
support each other and harvesters can do
the same.
The Association will be providing organic
certification to trained leaders and
association members in each community
harvest area.

Certification
The Association may not buy Lingonberries from producers who do not
follow the Land of Little Sticks Boreal
Harvesters Association code of ethics.

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              Land of Little Sticks
        Boreal Harvesters Association
                   P.O. Box 39
        Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada
                     R0B 0W0
             www.boreallinks.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Berry picker pamphlet
General and Aboriginal Uses:
Northern Canadian natives ate stewed
lingonberries with fish or meat.
Medicinally the plant leaves were used as
an antiseptic.
In Europe, Lingonberry juice is used to
prevent and relieve urinary tract infections
Berries are used extensively for jams and
juice in northern Europe and North
America.

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         HARVESTING LINGONBERRIES
Quality Control:
Environmental Safety
Harvesting Lingonberries must be done
where there are no sources of pollution
such as industrial sites, railways, etc.
The harvesting sites must have no known
history of herbicides, pesticides, or
chemical fertilizers.
Cleaning Process
The Land of Little Sticks Boreal Harvesters
Association members sort berries by size,
color and quality.
The Harvesters Association does not buy
green, overripe, wet or squashed berries.
Fresh berries are shipped within 24 hours
or frozen the same day the berries are
picked.
Berries to be in storage will be frozen by
the Association before shipping to
customers and processors in Canada and
the USA.
General Rules for Pickers:
Pick in a group if possible, not alone.
Tell someone where you plan to go.
Carry a whistle, watch for bears, be aware
of your surroundings - try not to get lost.
Respect the earth and the Creator - don't
harm the plants and other growing things.