Cloudberries
The cloudberry adventure
The most beautiful adventure of the arctic summer! Every year, more than 100 enthusiastic people gather on Tamsøya looking to secure their share of cloudberries of the highest quality. All in the span of two weeks on a bucolic private island in the middle of the Porsanger fjord.
We sell cloudberries to businesses and people. They are highly sought after and known for their colours, size and flavour, so ordering early is recommended.
Salts from the sea, fertilizer from the birds and the midnight sun, shining for 2,5 months straight during the summer, are important factors to the unique quality and quantity of the berries our island is known for. In the PDF file on the bottom of this page, more detailed info for potential buyers and/or berry pickers is available.
Cloudberry flowers
By the end of June, Tamsøya is in full bloom. However, only the female flower carries actual berries. This flowering process is very vulnerable to wind and weather conditions, but thankfully the cloudberry flower is an enduring plant that thrives in the arctic climate.
Cloudberry mires
Cloudberry-covered mires stretch over nearly the entirety of the island, with some variations in the terrain. In the beginning of the season, the berries on the south and west end ripen first. This means that ripe berries can be found on the north and east side even as late as the middle of September.
Immature berries
Before the berries turn ripe, they’re in a 14-18 day stage of what we in Norwegian call “kart”. These may look similar to a ripe berry, but they are hard and do not taste how they´re supposed to. We do not pick these on our island. In order to assess if a berry is completely ripe, it should be soft all over.
Berry-picker in action
The density of berries on this mire is very high. Every year varies – some may look a lot like this, while others, if the weather hasn’t been on our side, may not.
Cloudberries and the midnight sun
The midnight sun plays an important part in the great berry-quality we have on the island. There are no mountains shading the sun, so in theory there can be 24/7 of sunlight for 76 days straight in summer.
Cloudberry cake
The cloudberry cake is very popular, and at times we sell it on the island for you to try for yourself. For those who might want the recipe, it’s situated in the “old shop”, and available for all who pop by and read it.
"Kart" on the ATV path
The cloudberry plant is everywhere on the island, and the “kart” appear in all the “normal” spots, but also in more odd ones, as shown here – in the middle of the quad path, between where the tires go.
Cleaning buckets
During the berry season, hundreds of buckets are being utilized. It’s important to reuse them, and therefore also to clean them well.