Wild Huckleberry Lovers

The International Wild Huckleberry Associate was first founded to share the research of Dr. Dan Barney on the domestication of wild huckleberries.  When Dr. Barney’s facility at the UI Research Center in Sandpoint closed in 2010, and he retired a few years later, others took up his quest to domesticate the wild huckleberry.  (If you […]

Huckleberry picking season is nearly here!  With all the talk about picking huckleberries, I am reminded that there are several misconceptions about using huckleberry rakes.  So, I have decided to share some excerpts from an article I wrote awhile back on this particular issue: What is the Real Story Behind Picking and Harvesting Wild Huckleberries? […]

The Wild Huckleberry Association’s favorite resource on growing huckleberries is Dr. Dan Barney’s Book:  Growing Western Huckleberries (link to book or pdf file is listed near the bottom of our Resource Page.) Once in awhile, we run across a article with some excellent tips on growing huckleberries.  One such article, by Amy Grant, is from […]

While many of us in huckleberry country are still digging out from one of the snowiest winters, I am wondering what impact the snow will have on the huckleberry crop this summer. Here are some excerpts on the impact of weather on huckleberries: Huckleberries purple gold by Laura Roady Each year’s huckleberry crop depends on […]

As you know, we have tons of information about huckleberries on this site — especially about the huckleberries grown in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest region. But we may not have EVERYTHING you want to know about huckleberries! But, believe it or not, there is some interesting information about huckleberry on Wikipedia Following is […]

A reader recently posted the following question on our website concerning mummified huckleberries: … We have many red huckleberry and evergreen huckleberry bushes in our woods (in Washington).  I have noticed mummies in the e.h. plants–a local blueberry farmer expressed surprise that mummification had migrated to the wild.  Do you know if that is common, […]

Although Dr. Barney is not currently propagating and growing huckleberries, he is still considered the expert on the subject and giving interviews to interested parties. We are fortunate to have a written copy of his interview with Kristina Johnson who is a food and agriculture reporter: 1. Where does domestication of the berries stand now? […]

From our friend Joe Culbreth who is a huckleberry grower in Rathdrum, Idaho.  This is the email I received from Joe last spring: We here at Berry & Nut Farm are not a research center for huckleberries,  but are are growing huckleberries. We started our huckleberry field in 2010, which now, consist of about 1 […]

I found this article on the CDA Press website: Idaho’s state fruit starting to ripen Idaho has a state flower, a state horse, a state bird, a state fish, a state flag, and…a state fruit. So designated by the Idaho Legislature in 2000, it is the huckleberry. At this time of year, it is not […]

Continuation of the interview with Dr Danny Barney on the western huckleberry: 5.  Why did you choose to pursue domesticating the huckleberry and why did you stop? Dr Barney:  Being a native of Idaho, I grew up picking huckleberries in late summer and autumn, as did my father, grandfather, and their grandfathers. The fruit is […]