Bilberry Graham Porridge

Arctic berries are known to be the grand jewels of wild foods. One of the favorites nationwide is Finnish Mustikka, Bilberry, a.k.a. European Blueberry. The reason I’m sharing this simple feel-good recipe with you now is that I believe in the power of food amidst change. Cooking and eating well during challenging times that are putting us through the unimaginable help us stay grounded and in better spirits. I hope that there will be soothing moments shared at your table, wherever you may be.

It was a warm afternoon last summer, as I was sitting in Mom’s squeaky garden swing. This recipe popped in my mind, and as I tracked back, the last time I had bilberry porridge was roughly twenty years ago. I called for Mom to join me and shared this epiphany with her. “Why don’t we go get them berries and make some right now?” She suggested. “And correct this misfortune,” she added. That’s precisely the spontaneity that I love about her! The next minute we’re pulling our worn-out rubber boots on and headed out the door with determination prepared to find berries for the porridge. Sooner than later, we spotted a real treasury in the forest close by and started relentless picking. “How nice it is to be in good terms with Mother Nature,” I thought, and tipped a handful of plump bilberries into my mouth. That taste, hmm, there’s nothing like it. With a smile, I kept at it.

This quick porridge is so comforting and not overly sweet; it’s a pleasant combination of sweet and savory. I hope you like it. Here is what you’ll need.

Ingredients

• wild bilberries
• organic graham flour
• water
• organic coconut sugar
• salt

The Method

First, boil water and then sieve the organic graham flour into the water. Stir porridge and let is simmer and swell for about ten minutes.  Add bilberries and mix, let the flavors develop for a few minutes. The last step is to add salt and sugar, taste, and adjust to your liking! Arctic Bilberry’s nutritional value is excellent, but as there are a lot of other beautiful options to choose from or the ones you happen to have in your freezer.

Now that we’re living through times of uncertainty and change, it’s vital to allow the various feelings to pass through. Yet we need positivity to be ok and keep the reactive mind at ease. It might acquire an extra effort to remain calm and direct our energy and mind into something concrete that soothes and builds us up. Something to stave off our worries, right? Maybe some balancing routine. What if we could see this as an opportunity to revamp our ideas of life both individually and globally? For me, spending large quantities of time alone is normal, a key to maintaining clarity. Yet today, the world feels different, and we must change along with it. To prepare, learn, and cooperate.

I am well aware that some have it easier than others, yet it is crucial to focus on what is beneficial for our wellbeing. Things like proper sleep, physical workout, mindfulness practice will help us in the process of resetting our lives towards a more sustainable and conscious way. Compassion will play a significant role in this rebuilding phase. There was a day when I used to think that cooking only for myself was nonsense. That changed when I experienced the fortifying and nurturing role that whole foods plant-based meals play in the face of shock, trauma, and recovery. We must eat, so we might as well load good energy to the event as much as possible, no matter how modest or flamboyant our plate appears to be, it is something to be appreciative.

The Brilliance of Nature

I love nature,  as you already may know. I’ve had this idea of living in harmony with it from a very young age. My parents showed us how to respect the forest; we can live in it, enjoy it but should never misuse it. Another point was not to take more than what we needed, berries and mushrooms and wild herbs, and to preserve and appreciate the diversity as mere visitors should. I’ve never been fearful of the wild, our nature— quite the opposite, I have found solace and safety amidst the silence and vastness of it. As a little girl, I regularly sneaked outside and climbed to a tree to get distance from people and perspective. I still find that it is a fantastic method to reconnect. Nature does work miracles.

It is common knowledge that healthy wild forest holds unbelievable healing properties.  When we breathe in the fresh air, and the scent of trees, soil, and greenery will reduce the stress levels and calm our mind, and our immune system will benefit from it. We all know how just a little walk in the woods makes everything seem less grim. It is after becoming vegan that I came to understand this connection in a more in-depth level, that we are part of it. A daily dosage forest bathing is something I genuinely recommend for everyone to incorporate into their lives when possible. Especially now.

The forest is a buffet of magic and it will reveal itself to you if only you wish to see it! Here I’m holding one of the prettiest plants that bear fruit; Lillukka, the Stone Bramble. The berries are just like rubies!