Monday, July 28, 2008

Huckleberries and the case for 'why we aren't crazy'

I'll have you to know that we are talking Superfruit here! Turns out blueberries are great anti-oxidants, and furthermore, the wild ones in particular are. Certainly a huckleberry is nothing but a wild blueberry. In some areas, as Louise noted, the term used is 'wild blueberry' rather than 'huckleberry,' but there possibly is no real difference and certainly no substantive difference.

And when I say Superfruit, I mean Superfruit! Check it out:
http://www.wildblueberries.com/images/health/AntioxChart_Rev.jpg

And do note that the wild variety, as opposed to the cultivated variety, is especially superb.

6 comments:

Marsha Schmidt said...

Since I am usually eating the huckleberries I don't think I have seen them prior to cooking. So I am not sure what they look like to confirm that huckleberries are wild blueberries.

I can relate two stories. Matt and I were in Newfoundland many years ago during berry season (up there it was end of August). We stopped to pick some blueberries with a fellow on the side of the road. The bushes were short with a red ting and lined the roads all over Newfoundland. Bugs were absolutely swarming around us and we could not stand it for more than five minutes. The old man seemed not bothered at all. The other berries we picked were "partridge berries" which we later decided were actually lingonberries. These grew low to the ground, almost like ground cover.

The wild blueberries were much smaller than what you would buy in the store and they were a bit more tart. We snuck several bags of the berries back across the border tucked in the trunk of our car.

I have also had "wild blueberry pie" in Washington State. These folks are very proud of their wild blueberries. Personally, I did not find the pie particularly compelling. They certainly did not have that zing of "huckleberries."

In my travels around the country, I have never run into anyone actually offering huckleberry pie. So perhaps you are correct, huckleberries are wild blueberries. I find it hard to believe that someone somewhere has not written about this. I am going to check my old cookbooks.

Anonymous said...

Our blueberry bushes are much shorter than I recall huckleberry bushes being, but that may be due to the climate here. Or it could be a different variety.

Regardless, I think the huckleberry/blueberry "superfood" properties are enhanced when they're made into a pie. ;)

Carlw4514 said...

stay tuned, Marsha, 'operations' may move to Maryland due to developments.
Next year,tho, I think. will explain.

Carlw4514 said...

>"superfood" properties are enhanced

>when they're made into a pie

no doubt in my mind!

Anonymous said...

I cannot confirm or deny sneaking berries across international borders. I believe it is a rural myth. I admit to nothing.

Anonymous said...

Actually huckleberries and wild blueberries are related but they are definitely not the same. A huckleberry has a much more intense flavor then a blueberry and anyone who has had both can tell you a huckleberry is much better tasting then a blueberry. Also, research is slowly coming out and shows that huckleberries actually have twice as much antioxident capacity as the wild blueberry making huckleberries by far and away the leading fruit in antioxidents. You can get more info at www.nwwildfoods.com and also try the wild huckleberries yourself there. They are delicious!