huckleberries (Lincoln, Hungry Horse: campground, horse, property)

[elkun1]

It's gettin closer, has any body found any yet? Was up around Lincoln last week and they looked to be a couple weeks from being ready. Rumour mill was that they were finding some around sandpoint down low. I'm gettin hungry just thinkin about them.

[Mt-7]

enjoy some for me will ya?

[Redraven]

Wife picked about a cupful in Lost Johnny Point Campground on Hungry Horse Reservoir a week or so ago. She said they were pretty sparse.

[Pashta]

I was wondering what they look like, because we found a couple of berry bushes on our property and wonder if it's either blueberries or huckleberries. Do they look alike, is there a way to tell easily?

[elkun1]

Mt-7, first one i find I'll happily devour it with you in my thoughts.
Redraven, were the ripe ones sparse or the berries themselves?
Pashta, think a large blueberry and flavor that shouldn't even be legal. No comparison between the two.

[Rickers]

The huckleberries found in Montana are a type of Blueberry. Very similar in taste to those commercially grown large Blueberries but a bit milder. I put them in my pancakes.

The scuttlebutt in the bush is that this year will be a bit late and maybe sparse in some locations. I know a tribal lady who is bringing down buckets full already and I know where she goes. In some spots the bushes are pretty full already and other spots almost nothing.
An odd summer this one is.

[MTSilvertip]

East of the divide we don't have the large huckleberries famed in song and story, but we do have low bush huckleberries.
Smaller, but with a very pronounced flavor. (They are great if you can beat the bears to them ).
They grow on very small stems, not really a bush at all, and it kills your back to pick very many, but they are well worth the effort.

We found some last weekend, and they are just starting to ripen at 6500 feet elevation.

I did notice the Gooseberries are still very green which is about 2-3 weeks later than usual, same for the wild Raspberries.

Wild currents are ripe along the Missouri though, but the Buffalo Berry are going to be very late.

The Service berries are also a lot later than usual.

Cold spring.

[grizzfan]

From what I understand this will be a very sparce year with few berries West of the Divide.

Bears will be much in competition for the hucks; let's leave the few remaining ones for them. I've never acquired a taste for huckleberries anyway! Chokecherry syrup - that's a whole different matter!!!

[elkun1]

Just talked to my daughter in missoula, roomate found a bunch this week. first of the week i think i'll fuel up the dodge and take off for a few days. I always leave an angel's share, just in case they need a few more..

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by grizzfan

From what I understand this will be a very sparce year with few berries West of the Divide.

Bears will be much in competition for the hucks; let's leave the few remaining ones for them. I've never acquired a taste for huckleberries anyway! Chokecherry syrup - that's a whole different matter!!!

Yes this chokecherry was something I had to learn about over here
More familiar with salmon berries and huckleberries.