Subject: Re: Huckleberries

From: [email-masked] (Bill Peeler)
Date: 28 Mar 1995 10:25:21 -0700

Laurie McCalla ([email-masked]) wrote:
: We recently purchased a farm in southeastern Michigan and
: have found that we have acres (I'm not sure just  how
: many) of Huckleberries.  Does anyone have any experience
: with them?  When is the best time for harvest? Should
: something be done to them each year?  Any ideas on the
: retailability of them?  Even recipe ideas would be
: appreciated.  Thanks

If these are the same fruit we call huckleberries here, I have had
a fair amount of experience with non-commercial use.
We gather (by hand) 3 or 4 gallons every year.  We use them for
pancakes (toss in a handfull), cakes and pies.  Since these are gathered
with great labor by hand, we use them sparingly!  They grow in the
mountains and foothills in Idaho (we go near Idaho Falls) and are picked
for a few weeks in the fall (the exact time varies).  My understanding
is they are a variant of blueberry and are sometimes called mountian
blueberries.  They sell for $25.00 per gallon for hand picked in Idaho.
They don't seem to ship well, although relatives have taken them as far
as Detroit (sp) - how's that for irony? and New York.  When they are
ripe, they range from a dark wine color to a dark, dark purple.  Stains
are almost impossible to get out.  Any ideas on how they could be shipped
this far?  Commercial machines that gather are less than satisfactory,
since they strip the leaves, damage the vines and fruit.  If you can get
some here somehow, (like maybe a gallon?? <g>) i'll be glad to tell you
how they compare with what I know as huckleberries.

good luck
bill
[email-masked]