Posts Tagged ‘huckleberry picking’

Huckleberry Botanic Preserve – photos of East Bay on Worldisround

Huckleberry Botanic Preserve. by Daniel Wolf-Root · Huckleberry Blossoms at the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve on the Skyline Ridge. The. …

How to Transplant Huckleberries | eHow.com

How to Transplant Huckleberries. The huckleberry is a native shrub to most of North America, but called by this term for two different species.

What is the difference between blueberries&huckleberries? | Answerbag

Often used interchangeably, blueberries and huckleberries have similar looks and tastes. Both fruits make delicious pies and tarts….

Evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

By mgsbird
Blooming near Cabin Point, East Sooke Regional Park, British Columbia. Photo #2828.

“Huckleberry Heaven.” Late-summer rains make the huckleberries …

If it doesn’t fit in another caegory, then it goes into this gallery.

Huckleberries – eHow.com

Learn about Huckleberries on eHow.com. Find info and videos including: What Are Red Huckleberries?, How to Plant Huckleberries, How Can I Identify …

Alaska On My Mind | Travel and Leisure Articles

By admin
In the other direction, we enjoyed St. John’s on Zarembo Island, and sometimes we took a short run only as far as Roosevelt Harbor, a good stop for huckleberry picking. I made pints of huckleberry jam that summer, my first jam making …

Whew!!! Huckleberry jam incident averted | NJ.com

On our way home from Sun Valley in Idaho, Ski Widow’s small jar of huckleberry jam was confiscated by the TSA from her carry-on bag at the Boise Airport . …

How Do I Know When Huckleberries Are Ripe?

Ripe huckleberries will have a smooth deep purple hue with no discolored areas, while unripe huckleberries will be a lighter red. …

About Huckleberries | Garden Guides

About Huckleberries. Huckleberries are flavorful berries that remind many consumers of blueberries. They are native to the United States and have not yet …

How to Freeze Huckleberries | eHow.com

How to Freeze Huckleberries. Huckleberries appear in mountainous regions from late July into August, bringing with them treasure hunters hoping to fill …

Best Way – How Can I Identify Huckleberries? | eHow.com

Best Way : How Can I Identify Huckleberries?. Huckleberries are found in the northwest areas of the United States. They are a significant part of the …

Blueberries Vs. Huckleberries | eHow.com

Blueberries Vs. Huckleberries. Blueberries and Huckleberries are closely related . Unless you have a degree in botany, it’s often difficult to tell the …

huckleberries on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Huckleberries waiting on Mt. Hood. …

Wild Huckleberries. on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Wild Huckleberries. by +Jethro+. Picked about 20km from my house. Yum! To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and …

Idaho State Fruit: Huckleberry

How to Harvest Huckleberries | Garden Guides

How to Harvest Huckleberries. If you love fresh huckleberries, prepare yourself to work for them. In rare instances you may discover some in your grocer’s …

Out & About
The Spokesman Review – Spokane,WA,USA
Bears may be sprawled out unconscious from overdosing on huckleberries. … “Years from now, old-timers will talk about the ’09 huckleberry crop with …

Travels into the inland Northwest make for a perfect end-of-summer …
The Olympian – Olympia,WA,USA
Eating wild huckleberries the size and color of blueberries on two high-elevation hikes on the same day after crossing the border into southeast BC – one …

Gary Payton’s Faith Walk
The River Journal – Clark Fork,Idaho,USA
A question please, what does huckleberry picking in our North Country and the raging debate about health care reform have in common? The answer: perspective …

Huckleberry Pickles … It is near the end of huckleberry season and it is time to add something else to your huckleberry preservation repertoire other than jams and bulk freezing …

One of the most common questions I get is, “Where can I go to find huckleberries to pick?”

Of course, that is a tough question, one that might get you in a fist fight… or attract vague answers like, “No Telum Ridge” or somewhere “between Canada and Nevada”!

Favorite huckleberry pickin’ spots are probably a more closely guarded secret than favorite trophy elk hunting, or trout fly-fishing, locations. And of course, huckleberry hounds are more prone to exaggeration about the size and numbers in their favorite patch, than anglers about their favorite hole, if you can believe that!

Most species of western huckleberries in the Pacific Northwest — Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and even Alaska and northern California in the US, and Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, grow exclusively in rich, mid- to high-elevation forest zones. Closer to the sea coasts, they will grow lower, even much lower, in elevation – including right on the sea shore, but still in forested zones.

When trying to find good huckleberry picking country, there ARE some general things you can do. Here are some of the tactics I recommend:

1)      Try to find people you know well who are avid huckleberry hounds, and might trust you enough to take you out… This is the best way, but could end up destroying a friendship, so be careful! Most people will not be shy about telling you NO!, but might also make alternative suggestions about where to go (to pick berries, I mean…).

2)      Ask around in your social groups, church, school, workplace, or even the grocery store, for good “general” locations… be careful not to pin people down for specifics… unless you can duck fast!

3)      Augment the general location information you got, by contacting the local ranger district of the US Forest Service, or state forestry agency. Ask them  for suggestions about finding huckleberries, and the best areas and appropriate access roads to traverse. Buying one of their maps is often a good idea.

4)      Spend some time looking at pictures of huckleberry bushes and habitat (like some of the photos on this web site) so you will know what huckleberry country and bushes look like when you drive over the top of them.

5)      Keep your ear to the wind, until you begin hearing reports about huckleberries being ripe (usually July, August, and well into September, depending upon elevation, winter snow depth, and if the spring weather came early or late).

6)      Make your exploratory trips on the weekend, when more berry pickers will be out and about. Drive around until you find vehicles parked along the side of the road, with no one around. If you are in good huckleberry habitat, this probably indicates they are out picking!

7)      Drive a little ways, until you see some huckleberry plants (check out photos on this blog site, so you know what to look for), and start hiking around. Don’t be afraid to hoof it for a ways (but be careful not to get lost!). Most people pick close to the road, and above the road, so hiking downhill or a considerable distance uphill, might allow you to locate YOUR OWN secret patch, on “No Telum Mountain!”.

Most huckleberry species (not all) prefer openings, from full sunlight to partial shade. So, when driving around, look for brushy, old clearcuts, burns, or heavily logged areas. Trees of various sizes might be popping up, but in good huckleberry habitat, do not form a solid or dense canopy. Generally, the tree cover should be light to sporadic.

University research indicates that our huckleberries here in Idaho and Montana, will grow and produce well up to 30% shade, and are mostly gone or seriously declining by 60% shade. I have found very productive patches in 100% sunlight, although in hot, dry years, the berries completely in the open tend to dry up fast, and are generally smaller. In cooler, wetter years, they can be fantastic in full sun. But generally, a little bit of shade tends to create more berries, and good berry size.

Huckleberries often share habitat with other, often taller, brush species. Over time, young trees and brush such as maple, willow, alder, and mountain-ash, will take over and shade out the hucks… but in the meantime, you might get five, ten, twenty (or more) years of good picking before the huckleberry plants seriously decline.

When you find a good general area, make a mental note about current logging operations or burns (or combinations, where the forestry agency or company burned after logging). Unfortunately, many agencies SPRAY their clearcuts after logging, to aid in the replanting of conifers, which completely wipes out the huckleberries.

However, where they do not herbicide the forest, within five to ten years these areas often start producing berries. Since you may need to replace your existing favorite patch someday — as the vegetation changes, keep a map or mental note of locations, and enjoy your purple huckleberries patches for years to come!

Happy Huckleberry!

Out & About
The Spokesman Review
Of the 12 huckleberry species in Washington and Oregon, the most sought-after is the thin-leaved huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), says a Forest Service …

Hike of the week: A perfect loop to get some shade and huckleberries
Marin Independent-Journal
Large huckleberry bushes line the trail. Their tiny berries are black when ripe in late August and September. At a few spots along the trail, East Peak and …

KDRV

Huckleberry harvest down compared to last year
KDRV
Huckleberry pickers just down the road are running into the same problem. Patrick Crampton and his family visited the area four weeks ago and left without …

Happy huckleberry hunting!
Valley Echo
Even at this late date a keen eye can find the last of summer’s huckleberries hanging at the base of its tangled bushes. It has been an exceptional year for …

NOTE:  Not your typical huckleberry news story that we list, but some interesting information about huckleberry picking and cougars!

Tucson Citizen

Mom not a superhero? Maybe she has secret identity.
Tucson Citizen
They were about about two hours into the hike, and eating huckleberries. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her son stumble. To her horror she soon saw …

Do you like huckleberries and having fun?
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Washington Trail Association is offering five work parties where participants will be able to pick huckleberries and join a trail maintenance work party …

Huckleberry heaven
Gresham Outlook
By Garth Guibord Huckleberries are the small berries with big seeds. What does that mean for making the tasty huckleberry treats served up at the Mt. Hood …

Huckleberry Festival shines on
Pincher Creek Echo
The Huckleberry Festival had a great turnout this past weekend. Berry pickers from all over southern Alberta and even parts of BC showed up at Castle …

Malcolm and his friends, Roy and Emory, took some great pictures while huckleberry hunting and picking last weekend.  Some of the pictures are detailed close ups of the huckleberries and plants as well as a few pictures of the huckleberry stands where they were picking.

My favorite is the picture of Nick in the huckleberry patch:

Nick in the huckleberry patch!

Check out the Photo Gallery to view all the photos!

NOTE:  We have updated the photo gallery page.  You can also view the new pictures of Alaska huckleberries taken by Hans Porter.