Today we went across the road to pick cloudberries, a delicay in Sweden mainly due to its behaviour.

Cloudberries, unlike a lot of other berries, do not grow in clumps. Or indeed on the same plant. No, the cloudberry is a solitary chap, growing close to the ground and preferring marshland. Which is possibly why they cost a small fortune in shops.

There is nothing quite like an outing to the swamps to search for a rare fruit, especially one which refuses to produce itself at a pickable level. Of course, being summertime and being a swamp means an added attraction: mosquito city.

I’m reasonably used to these little bloodsucking bastards by now, but this was ridiculous, even for my standards. Even a frequent application of mosquito repellent didn’t deter the swarm, and Jo even managed to get bitten on the lip.

Our total catch was a bucket’s worth. This is a pretty good harvest, considering the cloudberry’s anti-social growth-pattern. It’s just a pity I do not have a fondness for them.