Culture

Recipe Comix: Swedish Blueberry Jam and a Swedish Blueberry Mess

"Draw us a recipe." That's the brief we sent to a slew of our favorite comic artists earlier this year; each week, we're thrilled to present what they sent back. They're fantastic, beautiful, hilarious, thoughtful, informative, and often all of the above — and they prove that a recipe doesn't just have to be words on paper. Check out all the comics published so far in the archive »

This week's comic comes from illustrator Joanna Hellgren, a Stockholm-based illustrator, designer, and comic artist. Here, she lays out a simple, authentic way to make Swedish-style blueberry jam — but tread carefully, since blueberry picking in Sweden — thanks to the country's Every Man's Right laws — is serious business.

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___This story is mostly based upon a radio program in five parts: "Vredens blabar (The Blueberries of Wrath)" by Randi Mossige Norheim, Swedish Radio P1, with additional information from Migrationsverket (The Swedish Border of Migration) and The New York Times's "Migrants' Plight Touches a Point of Swedish Pride."

Many other articles have been written in the Swedish newspapers on this subject, but Randi Missige Norheim's radio reportage on Swedish Radio P1 covers the most. It was first broadcast in March 2011, and once again in June and July 2011. That's when I heard it, while driving through Sarna and Storuman, where some of these events took place. — Joanna Hellgren_

Joanna Hellgren is a Stockholm, Sweden-based illustrator, designer, and comic artist. You can find out more about her at her website.

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