Holiday destination, Lapland, Regional restaurant

Saariselka Lapland

January 4, 2013 admin

Saariselka is located at the far north-east of Finland, a busy hub of activities for visiting guests of Lapland.

Well suited for families, tour groups and romantic couples on their honeymoon, there is something to do for everyone at Saariselka. Most common activities during the winter season for the visiting guests are Nordic trail skiing, Snowmobile safaris, Alpine skiing, husky sleigh dogs, snowboarding, snowshoe safaris, health spa, honeymoons, sauna, rest and relaxation, dine & wine, shopping, cafes, socializing and beer in a pub.

Saariselka town has the modern tourism infrastructure in place, with tour companies, hotels, motels, igloo village, restaurants, cafes, coach service, taxi service, grocery store, information center, clothing, souvenirs, health spa, gyms, jeweler and more. It is serviced by regular coaches from the two main airports with traffic from abroad, the airports are located at Ivalo and Rovaniemi.

There is also a very long toboggan hill at Saariselka, with a walking distance (10-15min), the length of the toboggan hill is approx 2km. Toboggans are available for hire at a reasonable hourly rate, or it may be included in tour group activities. Ski lifts are also within walking distance (15-20 min), there is also a ski bus that runs every hour to the base and the summit of Kaunispää Tundra.

Kaunispää (pretty head) tundra summit.

At the summit of Kaunispää, there is a cafe/restaurant and a souvenir shop, with everything from; postcards, key tags, coffee mugs, woolen socks, jewelry to warm clothing. Customer service is always friendly at the Kaunispää summit.

Saariselka hub is a dynamic tourist activity town, that has a consistent international clientele touring the area mostly during the winter season; November-April.

Panorama Summit Cafe/Restaurant.

saariselka kaunispaa — Kaunispää Tundra summit. All Rights Reserved 2012.

—-> Music video pictures of Saariselka.

—-> Music You Tube Video on the Importance of Balanced Nutrition.

Santa Hotel.

Holiday destination in lapland., Nordic cuisine

Nordic cuisine at Saariselka

December 31, 2012 admin

Nordic Cuisine at Saariselkä town hub. Saariselka is an excellent destination to sample ethnic Nordic cuisine represented at the many Saariselka restaurants.

Saariselka at Lapland is located at 68° 25′ 15″ N, 27° 25′ 1.8″ E. It is at the far North East part of Finland.

The name Saariselka translated means “Island ridge”.

Saariselkä name is a description of the impression of the view from the tundra summit looking down to the lower areas of the township.

The view description is a mist covering the lower areas, and only the high points of the ridge are visible above the mist. Therefore giving the impression that the fog is water and the more top points of the elevation are islands surrounded by water

The raw ingredients of the Nordic cuisine of Lapland are mostly traditional ingredients of the far north of Finland.

The proximity to the north cap has shaped the environment and the inhabitants to adapt to the extreme cold of the Nordic winters, and their unique cycles of summer growth and the dormant winter season. Summer season is lush with new growth, mushrooms and many types of berries. The mammals eat berries and mushrooms as nature provides them to be consumed for fattening of their bodies for the long scarce winter season. Fine highly prized ingredients from the many waterways like; whitefish, arctic char, salmon, perch, and pike. The salmon from the Barents sea spawn in the river system of the Lapland. During the autumn spawning season the salmon don’t feed, they are very territorial and therefore take the fishermen to lure to protect their spawning territory only, but not to feed.

Many of the traditional food items have culturally evolved into the Nordic Cuisine, from the early pioneers of Lapland/Finland over many hundreds/thousands of years.

Like any other region of the world when the pioneers ventured to the new territories, they found naturally growing food ingredients in that new environment and also game animals and game birds. Most regions of the world have their unique background, growing seasons and natural flavors, and the early pioneers utilized that which the nature provided. Combining Nordic game meat with natural tart berries of Lapland, for example, is an exciting combination of the regional Nordic ingredients and flavors, a combination of wild game flavors and the red tart lingonberries of Lapland.

Visitors to Saariselka will quickly become familiar with the environment of this Arctic holiday destination town, there are many quality accommodation Hotels with services in the township and also units available for guests. It is a town with recreational skiing and Safari Activity programs open, guests visit Saariselka for the active Arctic holiday experience, and to be actively involved and interacting with the natural environment. Mother nature does not give hangovers, but diversions do, deviation from good sensible plans reap their rewards, there are no rewards for stupidity, only tax.

YouTube Video images from Saariselka.

Enjoy your holiday and the experience of Arctic Finland Nature at Saariselka.

Fennoscandia, Flavors of Lapland, Ingredients., Regional ingredients

Nordic cuisine

June 21, 2012 admin

Nordic cuisine, ingredients, and flavors are in many ways a projection of the Nordic seasons, culture and tradition, environment and land.

The Lapland region of Finland and the Nordic cuisine has a strong tradition of using reindeer meat for peoples protein needs as well as the local fish from rivers, lakes and ponds. There are also many game meats in the Nordic cuisine, the most common one is moose, that becomes available during the autumn hunting season. Game birds like wood Grouse, willow Grouse, black Grouse and Hazel Grouse and Pheasants.

Brown bear meat is also available in the far north Finland as part of the Nordic cuisine experience for the tourist interested in trying out novel meat dishes in Lapland. Tourists all over the world like to try out novel food dishes, whether it is Crocodile or Emu dishes in Australia, or monkey meat dishes in the jungle of Amazon.

Nordic cuisine Starting plate from the Lapland region.

Nordic cuisine Tenderloin steak with smoked reindeer, redcurrant jelly and green beans.

Nordic cuisine style Red meat, pan jus and roast vegetables.

The Nordic cuisine items shown above were taken at the Sallan Tuvat, Kiela Restaurant kitchen at Salla Finland, (East Finland) where i was working in 2010.

Sallatunturi.com

Nordic cuisine.

Berries, Nutrition

Nordic summer flowers

June 21, 2012 admin

Summer flowers are now blooming in all of the prime colors.

There are red, blue and yellow summer flowers, they are called Primary colors because all other colors derive from them, except black and white, which are not true “colors”.

Every week new types of summer flowers appear along footpaths and roadsides, there are flowers on flower plants, and there are flowers on berry plants. Bilberries and Lingonberry plants have flowered, they are showing the small pips of the berries already.

Wild strawberry plants also seem to be more abundant than the previous years, it looks like a promising start to a good berry season. All that can very quickly change if there is subzero night temperature, it could diminish the early berries during the early summer season, it would not be the first time it has happened.

Abundant Prime colors during the summer season can also be translated food and Nutrition later on the season.

The prime colors of the summer flowers, as well as the symmetrical shapes and the perfume scent of the flowers, attract insects, bees and birds to do their thing in the seasonal pollinating process of plants and flowers. The advertised message of “food available” in the plants for the insects, bees and the birds, makes the process complete and possible for plants to produce fruit and multiply.

Summer flowers and fruits are really interesting, they share many things in common, they have similar bright colors, they use colors to attract consumers, and they also have similar plant seeds. The color of the flowers may be different from the color of the fruit, e.g. the Bilberry flower is a light pink color, as the fruit is a dark blue color.

Nutrition is most abundant during the summer and autumn season in the Nordic region.

Prime Colors and Prime Health.

As mentioned earlier summer flowers and fruits have many things in common, the above link has an alphabetical list of fruits and some related facts about each one.

Summer flowers, prime colors, and Nutrition should be on your mind this summer, if you are in the Nordic region.

If you happen to be living elsewhere in the world and it may be a winter season currently, even then you can have prime colors as a reminder of good healthy Nutrition on your mind, and there are pictures available of summer flowers. For more information on Nutrition follow links.

Nutrition.

Mothers day, Mothers day flowers

Mothers day flowers

May 8, 2012 admin

Mothers day flowers on the Sunday 13 May 2012, it is the official mothers day this year here in the Nordic region.

Mothers day flowers ready for the next time around, now is the high time to get organized and download some Mothers day flowers, pictures and create something meaningful, e.g. a card, a collage poster or picture email.

Mothers day flowers are available until Monday 14 May, Sunday is the official Mothers day here in Finland.

The Mothers day flowers and celebrations on the second Sunday of May since 1927, and in 1947 it became an official flag raising day.

Mothers day flowers may not be available fresh, so a flower picture email or a card can be a useful substitute on that Mothers day.

There are many other gift ideas for creative thinking and a primer may be by seeing what is available at other craft gift sites, visit this web site that is Uncommon goods.com.

Uncommon goods.com

Ethnic cuisine, Family holidays, Holiday destination in lapland., Lapland, Regional restaurant

Spring holiday Lapland

April 23, 2012 admin

Spring holiday in Lapland is very active and dynamic time.

During the spring holiday in Lapland, the most common recreational activities are trail skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowshoe treks, snowmobile trips, husky dog sleigh trips, overnight snow camping (log cabins), ice fishing and leisure time dining and wining.

Spring holiday in Lapland is an active family recreational time for many tourists, the most common holiday duration is one week.

That allows time for activities and recovery during the on/off the slope days and to go sightseeing and to discover and learn the regional history and other places of interest.

Spring holiday in Lapland during April to May most likely have many days of sunshine and calm weather.

Spring holiday in Lapland with should include the many opportunities to enjoy the regional food ingredients at the local restaurants.

There are many restaurants in the Ylläsjärvi and the Äkäslompolo region that have a fine selection of regional food ingredients on their menu. One such place is at the Ylläsjärvi, the name of the restaurant is called Pihvi Keisari. I visited the Pihvi Keisari during my spring holiday in Lapland and Ylläs during the March 2012, the service from the personnel was great, really genuine food service. The food dishes that I tried was a regional tasting plate from Lapland (entree). The food ingredients were really fresh and flavorsome, small portions of meat, fish, bread and pickles/sauce. For the main course, I tried the white fish (siika) with a fennel nettle white wine sauce, and regional Lappi puikula potatoes, freshness, great flavors and texture, I was really pleased with that dish overall. The dessert that I chose was a vanilla ice cream served with strawberry syrup, a refreshing combination of natural flavors.

Fine Restaurant of the Ylläsjärvi-Pihvi Keisari.

When planning for your spring holiday in Lapland visit my picture gallery to see more pictures of the Lapland environment and the many Tundra mountains in the Ylläs and Äkäslompolo region. Also to purchase a print of the pictures, visit the following gallery link here, Skiing in Finland click on it and enjoy the memories of your spring holiday in Lapland.

East Finland, Husky dogs, Winter activities, Winter activities of East finland

East Finland

February 5, 2012 admin

The extreme winter sub-zero temperatures have finally arrived in East Finland in 2012.

February 2012 has brought about a change in the climate of east Finland, cool air streams from Siberia has brought down mercury down below -30’C. These measurements of the temperatures usually come early in January. The winter of 2012 seems to be back on track but some four weeks late, the effect of the cold should be seen in the ice conditions over the many lakes, especially in the south of the Arctic region. This will enable tourist operators of east Finland to use snowmobiles and husky dog sleighs on tracks that run on lakes and along frozen rivers, and enable ice lake fishermen to access the many lakes safely.

East Finland in many areas has remote wilderness areas for wildlife observation.

East Finland winter holiday activities at the Hossan Holiday Park.

A wilderness hotel located some 70km south of Kuusamo (east Finland), there is the Hossan Lomakeskus (Hossan Holiday Centre). They have a range of winter activities e.g. Snowmobiles, husky dog sleighs, snowshoe hire, XC-ski hire, and reindeer park trips.

Hossan Holiday Centre web link.

East Finland Picture Gallery.

Amazon Kindle e-book

Books

November 12, 2011 admin

The autumn season and the Amazon Kindle e-book go hand in hand as the cascading seasons keep on rolling on the planet earth, now is the time that autumn season is about to give way to the winter season here in the Nordic region.

I have written and published an e-book through Amazon Kindle e-book. The subject that I chose is history, and the story of the book starts at the Glacial maximum 90,000 BC, and the formation of an Ice Lake around 12000BC. It is those events that create the setting and the environment that the early pioneers seek and find.

My Amazon Kindle e-book story goes on about the indigenous peoples that lived on the shores of the Ice Lake which became the Baltic Sea for about 8000 years. It was not until 800AD that the Vikings arrived and opened up the River Highway to the far east through the Neva River-lake Ladoga and beyond.

Here are some links to the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and other products.

Here is a link to my first Amazon Kindle e-book. There is also a large selection of other books, articles, magazines and newspapers through Amazon Kindle e-book.

Also, it is possible to download and read Amazon Kindle e-book without the Amazon Kindle device, by downloading the Amazon Kindle e-book application for PC, Laptop computer, tablet or another mobile device.

Here is a small glimpse from the beginning of my first Amazon Kindle e-book:

“The Baltic Finns had a call of the wild in their blood, and the excitement of adventure, to go out and explore their back yard in the Nordic region. There were many real dangers, lurking in the dark unknown pine forests of the Nordic region. The flat terrains of the lake country, with thick bushy treetops, autumn fogs and winter darkness, all increasing to the doom and gloom of getting lost. Also, natural predators like the roaming brown bears, howling wolves, and the charge pointed antlers of a wounded deer, was a real life-threatening challenge during the Stone Age when they faced the wild predators with the burnt sharp tips of the wooden spears, hefty clubs, bone edge knives and stone-tipped arrows”.

Environment, Ingredients., Mushrooms, Nature, Nordic flavors, Regional ingredients, Traditional cuisine

Nordic mushrooms

October 1, 2011 admin

Mushrooms in the Nordic season come in waves of succession according to their groups and sub-groups, the mushroom season stretches out over a three month period.

Mushrooms should be identified by at least five different characteristics:

their morphological characteristics of the cap
(cap top,
cap color,
cap patterns,
cap shape,
mushroom size,
mushroom gills,)
and the stem of the mushroom and it’s structure,
scent can also be an important feature for mushroom identification.

It is vitally important to identify mushrooms correctly, there are very subtle differences within a sub-group, and the difference can be huge in whether they are edible, what kind of preparation is required, how good they are rated (stars), and whether they are toxic.

Some mushrooms are extremely hazardous and others extremely deadly, others cause permanent organ damage.

Mushrooms can be identified but it takes some time to get familiar with the forest environment for the eyes to adjust and to see the many hundreds of mushrooms that grow. Learning new things at first seem confusing, there are shapes, many sizes, colors, patterns and sign are that are new without previous memory recognition, the new information needs to installed into the mind’s memory which is the correct data for recognition of mushrooms.

Lactarius deliciosus mushrooms (three-star rating) have a distinguishable bright carrot orange color, it is not the only orange color mushroom in the Nordic region, or within the Lactarius sub-group, Lactarius deterrimus is another and it has a two-star rating.

Preparation and cooking of the lactarius deliciosus mushrooms is simpler than some other lactarius mushrooms (boiling the wedges for 10 minutes), therefore a very convenient mushroom for the mushroom hunter.

Stock photos of Lactarius deliciosus mushrooms.

boletus-edulis-mushrooms — Penny bun mushrooms.Copy@All Rights Reserved.2010.

Berries, Seasonal change., Storing food, Tradition and History., Uncategorized, Vegetables

Autumn

September 17, 2011 admin

Autumn has arrived here in the Nordic region of Finland.

The signs of autumn are visible in the birch tree leaves and the strengthening winds of the autumn season. The autumn season is like a door that is closing on the many vital tasks of everyday life, especially in the previous centuries gone by.

September is the beginning of Autumn in the Nordic region, September is also the last window of opportunity for foraging and gathering of forest mushrooms and the cranberries (lingonberries).

Many of the favorite autumn forest mushrooms and Ceps have come and gone by September, e.g. Chanterelles and the Boletus edulis Cep’s. A very popular mushroom to prepare and the store is the Lactarius, there are many types of mushrooms within the Lactarius group here locally, most of them edible, but they mostly require preparation of boiling them in water for 10 min, then rinsing out in cold water until cool, and chilling. There are are some exception, e.g. lactarious deliciosus (no in water boiling required).

The prepared Lactarious mushroom then can be stored in a deep freezer, or salting very heavily. There is also the Lactarius helvus mushroom, that looks very similar to the above two Lactarius, but the Lactarius helvus is not edible, not even after boiling them for ten minutes, they cause belly aches.

The bilberry season is over for another year now in autumn 2011, the berries are mostly over ripe, and not suitable for picking, snacking for a few berries is still possible but many of the berries squish between fingers and ooze out a purple/blue bilberry bland juice.

The Vihta/Vasta season is also going out fast, the leaves of the birch trees have started to change color in this autumn and very soon will fall off the branches. A Vihta without the leaves is more like a brush sweeper for the pavement than a Vasta for the back in the sauna house.

The wheat and the oat crops have been harvested from their fields before the autumn rains arrive, also the potatoes need to be gathered in before the rains come in autumn. Many of the fruit trees on the local farmhouses still have apples on the trees, they also will be gathered in the autumn season.

Autumn season by nature and tradition a very busy time at the farmhouse for harvesting food crops and the preparation of food for the long winter ahead. Much of the berries gathered were made into condensed fruit juice, redcurrants, blackcurrants, bilberries, cranberries, and others, also preserving of fruit jams and other fruits, salting and preserving of mushrooms, fish, and vegetables. The freeze drying of meat and fish usually is done during the winter time when the air is sufficient -‘C cold and dry.

In the centuries past autumn season was the season when the cellar was filled with many types of raw vegetables: e.g. potatoes, onions, carrots, turnips, beetroots, dried sweet peas, and preserved fruits and juices. Even today many people on the land still have an underground cellar where the vegetables and preserved fruit are stored during the winter months, it is a very practical way of storing food here in the Nordic region.

Pictures of some Nordic Berries and mushrooms.

Nordic Cuisine Focus