Bilberry season is in full swing in Finland, where we are on holiday. Forests are full of blue, big, and healthy berries to be picked. This year, there are so many of them that you just need to walk into the forest and pick!

Picking wild berries from the forest is every man’s right in Finland. You can pick as many as you want for your own personal use. But you should care not to harm the tender bilberry bush branches while picking.

As long as I can remember, my Grandmother has made Bilberry tart with this simple recipe. The hot summer days spent with her in the forest picking the berries and whacking the mosquitos, horse flies, and those good dammed moose flies that crawl inside from whatever small opening you have in your clothing! Yach!! I hated it! But no fun, if didn’t work for it. Simple as that! Grandmother was a tough lady but a loving lady! So afterward, the rewards were great, bilberry tart and a cold glass of milk. Yumminess and the childhood memories …

The tart base is made fast and can be used in various berry or fruit tarts. I like to make apricot and peach tarts with this same recipe. Plum will be the next that I will try to make. Plums will be in season soon!

Bottom:

• 150  g butter
• 1,5 dl sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 dl cream
• 3 dl spelt flour
• 1 ts vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 400-600 g bilberries

For the streusel:

• 100 g butter
• 1 dl sugar
• 2 dl spelt flour

1. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add sugar, melted butter, 1 dl cream, and egg. Mix till you have even batter.
2. Spread the batter evenly in buttered form. I use a 30 cm loose bottom tart form for this tart.
3. Spread bilberries on top of the batter.
4. Make the streusel by mixing butter, sugar, and flour together. Use your fingers, the fastest way to do this. 😊
5. Bake in 200c for about 30 minutes or until sides are golden brown.

Serve with vanilla sauce or ice cream. If you want to be a bit adventurous, try this pie with lemon sorbet. It really tastes fabulous with the pie!