Friends of ours have a cabin in Idaho and the last time they returned from a trip there, they brought us some frozen huckleberries.
We were told they were much like blueberries and grow wild in the Northwestern part of the country.
I googled huckleberries to find out more about them, but ended up a little confused.
Apparently they grow in mountainous areas, look much like wild blueberries but have rather large seeds in them. They aren't commercially cultivated because of the difficulty of doing so on mountain hillsides.
I already had the pie in the oven before I read that about them having large seeds. However, both hubby and I had sampled a couple of the berries before I made the pie because I was curious as to their taste and wondered how much sweetener I should use in the pie.
Hmmm, nary a seed did we come across in our sampling. The taste of the berries was like the most flavorful wild blueberry we had ever had but with an almost wine-like flavor. REALLY good! (Homemade huckleberry wine? I can only imagine how dee-lish that would be.)
We could hardly wait for the pie to be cool enough to cut a sample. Was it good? Oh my! The best blueberry pie pales in comparison. I like huckleberries!
19 comments:
Huckleberries are just small, very tasty blueberries. We used to pick ours at Dolly Sods in WV. I once won a pie baking contest with an Almost Heaven Dolly Sods Huckleberry Pie.
(I can't believe your friends GAVE you huckleberries. They take forever to pick since they're so small. Your friends must reaaaalllly like you.)
No help here, but based on Jennifer Jo's comment and your review...if I ever come across them I will knock down anyone who gets in my way! Kidding!!
JJ - So obviously they grow in other parts of the country than the NW! But Dolly Sods was still a mountainous region?
Yep, they gave them to us. Maybe I should have been more gracious with my thanks?!
Apple Pie Gal - I would heartily advise you to do so! ;o)
MMmmmmmMMMMMmmmmmm, HUCKLEBERRIES!!! I grew up in Washington State, where huckleberries are our answer to blueberries. My mother used to go huckleberrying as a child near their dairy farm in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, where huckleberries reliably sprang up after forest fires and in the clearings after logging operations.
JJ is right-- they're small and take forever to pick, but the taste is heavenly. In fact, when I got to Maine and started eating blueberries, I kind of wondered what all the fuss was about. They seemed kind of...flavourless.
Dolly Sods is way up high, the same clime/elevation (or something) as places in Canada. All rocks and scrubby pines. The tree branches all face the same direction (leaving one side bald) because of the wind.
I've never had one, but I so like their name!
I wonder how huckleberries compare to Saskatoons? Saskatoon berries grow wild around here (Alberta) and look like small blueberries. They don't have seeds. Always thought I didn't like them after being forced to pick billions of them when I was a kid, lol, but I appreciate them much more now.
I know nothing about them, but now I am intrigued!
Is there any left? I'll be right over!
I'll bet I'm too late, aren't I? (If you were smart you ate the rest for breakfast!!!)
I grew up in Oregon and we were always tramping through the woods looking for huckleberries.
I wouldn't compare them to blueberries at all ('cause I don't like blueberries!)
My grandpa once asked my mom for a huckleberry pie and she said she'd make it if he picked the berries. I still remember him sitting in a lawn chair up on the hill behind their house picking huckleberries all day long. He never wanted to do that again!
I remember they weren't very sweet so my mom had to add a bunch of sugar.
You are certainly lucky that your friends gave you enough for a whole pie. That's probably a whole days worth of picking right there!
Off to google them....I've heard of the wine and jam but never seen the bush/plant. What great friends to gift you with them!
We have been absolutely enjoying our fresh blueberry pies, so I would really love to try a pie with huckleberries. In one of my nursery catalogues, I found huckleberry bushes that are supposed to do well in the shade. Well, we have a lot of shade so I will probably order some. I was glad to hear you liked them so well.
Hey All You Guys! Just returned home from an exhausting shopping trip to the big city. Will catch up on all your comments and posts tomorrow. Now I'm going to drink something alcoholic and go to bed!
Hello again everyone - Our gifted huckleberries measured exactly one quart and that was what I figured I needed for one pie so they all went into the pie. Both hubby and I thought they were more flavorful than blueberries and made one heckuva yummy pie! I'm still confused about the seeds. Ours had no seeds . . . just like a blueberry. Are there different varieties that do have large seeds? If so, I imagine you would have to make those into jelly using the juice, right?
Linda, are saskatoons the same as June berries? We have June berries around here and I think they are LESS flavorful than blueberries although most people can't tell a pie made from June berries from a pie made from blueberries.
This all goes to prove that I sure have a lot to learn! I think I've heard the phrase "huckleberry pie" all my life but never had one until this week . . . and I still don't know all there is to know about them!
Thanks for all your interest and comments.
Great post ... If you want to find out more info on huckleberries (including recipes), check out the International Wild Huckleberry Association blog: http://www.wildhuckleberry.com
Good eating!!
Sandy
Anonymous (Sandy) - Is this you, FL?
Thanks for the good reference . . . much appreciated!
I'm going to have to try a June berry pie sometime - I love them fresh and in jam so why not a pie?
Jen - I'm betting your June berry pie will taste just like a blueberry pie.
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