Cranberry pickers say the berries are good this year and plentiful. Even after making the long trip to the Emajõe‑Suursoo bog, you still meet many people who have also come to gather the large red berries.

Most pickers arrive by boat across Lake Peipus.

"Using a boat is convenient: if you pick a lot of cranberries, it's hard to carry them out of the bog. But with a boat, it's easy. The cranberries grow right near the water. You take a potato sack or a sugar sack, throw it into the boat, and haul it out. I think that's the main thing. And besides, boating is pure romance," said Tauno Laasik, initiator of the Peipsi Toit regional food network.

"It's much closer when you come by boat. If you go on foot, you have to walk almost two kilometers across the bog," said cranberry picker Jekaterina.

"For many, this is a hobby, but here at the edge of the bog there are quite a lot of people who pick cranberries to earn a bit of money for the winter. These are serious masters — they can pick 100 liters a day. Then they sell the berries to buyers and earn a decent amount as extra income for winter," Laasik added.

According to Kristel Vilbaste, who has studied cranberries for many years, more and more people prefer to sell their berries directly through social media rather than to collection points.

"I looked at the ads: prices range from €6 to €10. But some people don't notice that the price is listed per liter, not per kilogram. €6 per liter is almost €10 per kilogram. So you should pay close attention to what exactly you're buying. The berries are very good and tasty. We had a lot of rain this year, so they're juicy. And there was enough sun too," Vilbaste said.

She added that because of the large amount of water in the bogs this year, it's best to wear high rubber boots — and not forget a reflector, since berry picking often continues into the dark.

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