Topic: Huckleberry Heaven

[Peggy]

Hi!

Over Thanksgiving vacation, my mother in law gave us a nice BIG Huckleberry plant to bring home. I had some concerns about whether or not it would survive the transition from a coastal environment to a mountain type environment.  What I found out is that there are numerous species in the Huckleberry family, and that each is adapted well to it’s environment.  They are a very particular plant that man has not yet figured out how to domesticate, though we are trying. 

I have discovered with some TLC, that the plant will probably survive and produce fruit, in a year or two. 

Here is what I found out about the Huckleberry plant: 

Huckleberry is a name used in North America for several plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae: Gaylussacia and Vaccinium.

Note that there is much confusion in naming of berries in American English. The 'garden huckleberry' (Solanum melanocerasum) is not considered to be a true huckleberry but a member of the nightshade family.

In the Pacific Northwest of North America, the huckleberry plant can be found in mid-alpine regions, often on the lower slopes of mountains. The plant grows best in damp, acidic soil. Under optimal conditions, huckleberries can be as much as 1.5-2 m (about 5-6.5 feet) high, and usually ripen in mid-to-late summer; later at

The huckleberry is a wild relative of the blueberry. They have a blueberry-like flavor, but more complex, with tart and musky notes. Completely undomesticated, each and every huckleberry must be foraged for and hand-picked. These late-summer fruits come in a highly prized, deep violet-black color. Violet-black huckleberries are the sweetest variety of huckleberries.  Huckleberries grow from California to Virginia and a great many places in between in Mountains, Swamps, and other environs.

In the wild, Huckleberries are very important for cover, fruits and browse. Ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, turkey, catbird, orchard oriole, scarlet tanager, towhee and gray and fox squirrels are known to readily eat on huckleberry fruits. Deer browse twigs and foliage. The larva of the attractive Huckleberry Spinx, Paonias astylus, is host specific in its feeding on huckleberry/blueberry foliage. Several small butterflies including the early spring flying Brown Elfin and Henry's Elfin occasionally lay their eggs on huckleberry. Bumblebees and smaller wild bees work the flowers for nectar (and serve as essential pollinating agents).

To Use Huckleberries:
Put a few cups in a strainer and pick the sticks, leaves, and bugs out by hand. Don’t rinse the berries because, you’ll loose the precious juice wash down the drain.  Then, either eat them, cook with them, or freeze them for later use. Huckleberries must be frozen tightly in a sealed container so the fragrance doesn’t permeate everything in your freezer. One way is to freeze the berries in a single layer on a paper towel– covered cookie sheet and then put the frozen berries into a container. Another is to dab the berries gently with a paper towel to remove moisture, put them in a large glass jar or heavy-duty zipper-lock plastic bag, and then freeze. They freeze well this way and are easy to remove later a cup or two at a time.  Try to freeze Huckleberries within a few days of picking. Otherwise they get too juicy, begin to ferment, and freeze into one big huckleberry clump.


Huckleberry Cobbler
1 box butter recipe yellow cake mix
3⁄4 c. butter
1 c. finely ground pecans
1 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1 T. cinnamon
11⁄2 c. fresh or frozen huckleberries
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix first five ingredients until crumbly. Put half the mixture in the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking pan (sprayed with cooking oil) and pat down. Distribute huckleberries over bottom layer. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

For More information:
http://berrygrape.oregonstate.edu/category/fruit-growing/berry-crops/huckleberry/

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/hucklesberries/index.shtml

Sources:
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/wildlife/ntvplts/hcklber.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry

http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/html/articles/2004/Huckleberries.htm

Peg

[Wrennie]

Wow! Lots of good info! I dont think I've ever had a huckleberry...

[Dianna]

I've never had a huckleberry, either, but I love blueberries. If huckleberry taste like a stronger version of blueberry, I know I would really like them, too...

[Peggy]

Wow! Lots of good info! I dont think I've ever had a huckleberry...

I never had a huckleberry until last week. I can't say that I was all that impressed. But, his mom says that the growing conditions weren't the greatest there where the bush was. So, we'll see how it goes.  I can see where in  a pancake or muffin how they would taste real good... and that is how my hubby likes them.     Peg