After checking our secret huckleberry spot up on the mountain two weeks ago, we’ve been counting the days until we could head back up and find a mountain covered with dark purple, juicy huckleberries. Heading up the mountain yesterday seemed like the perfect reward for finishing the painting in our back room just in time for my parent’s visit this week.
As we drove up the windy, rocky dirt road to our huckleberry spot high up on the mountain, we eagerly watched the mountainside. The trees are tall and thick but the forest floor is covered with huckleberry bushes as far as the eye can see. Simply amazing!
As we pulled up to our spot, we could see the bushes were hanging full of the scrumptious dark purple berries we dream about all winter long.
My husband packed our little nugget on his back while he picked and she jabbered away in baby babble, enjoying every minute. She of course got to eat some huckleberries and had dark purple stains all over her face and shirt!
My husband promised her that next year she’ll be big enough to sit in her own huckleberry patch and eat to her heart’s content while we harvest. Our dogs have even figured out how tasty huckleberries are and will find a patch of juicy berries and eat them right off the bush!
We went up the mountain in the early evening so we only picked for about an hour but were still able to harvest 3-4 cups. Of course we would always have more to take home if we didn’t operate under the “two for the mouth one for the bucket” picking method!
We go back to our secret spot numerous times each summer. I usually keep some huckleberries fresh and then freeze the rest in 1cup quantities in the freezer to use throughout the year. We love putting them in yogurt, on top of vanilla ice cream, homemade pancakes, and other baking treats. I also make a big batch of huckleberry freezer jam every year but that usually comes a little later in the picking season once we harvest more berries.
When we have our jam making day, I’ll share a post here on that fun adventure. For now, we’re looking forward to heading back up the mountain in the next week when my parents are in town so they can join in our summer family tradition of huckleberry picking!
This post featured on the International Wild Huckleberry Association website!
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Love reading your blog Annie! The huckleberries look great. (Will have an update for you soon on the potluck situation) -Dawn
Thanks Dawn! I always love to hear from folks who stop by my blog
We’ll have to chat more about wild harvesting, I’m curious about the book you got at the library and if you tried any of the edibles you found in your yard!
Those are beautiful! One of the great things of living in Montana I imagine! We have wild blackberries here in KY