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Garden Gate:  Huckleberries are ripening!  |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 18 2007 : 11:37:33 AM
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| My husband went for a walk in the woods and he said he ate a handful of huckleberries. In a couple of weeks they should be ripe at our "secret" spot which is at a higher elevation. JoAnn |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2007 : 4:42:27 PM
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HEY! Funny you should mention this. I recently discovered our own little patch too! On our 13 acres, half of this is woods. We have one wild blueberry bush. And just the other day I noticed these small, little plants with tiny mini blueberries! I guess those are huckleberries? Sure are good!
The patch I doscovered isn't quite big enough to fill a pie, but would make a nice contrast to the blueberries and blackberries. |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2007 : 5:25:15 PM
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***grin***
We make a difference. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2007 : 5:30:34 PM
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My father-in-law to be says he knows of a wonderful place to go huckleberry picking- but it is about 5 hours from my house and you have to ride a ferry to get there! I am not so sure that is feasible this year- but maybe next year!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
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Carol Sue
True Blue Farmgirl
4033 Posts
Carol Sue
Washingtonian
USA
4033 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2007 : 9:40:57 PM
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I really really want to go huckleberry and blueberry picking but have absolutley no idea where to do it around here.
Michele, have any suggetions or a trip I can take with you?
I know where to go in Western Washington cause I lived there most of my life, drive up White Pass, go into Packwood, make a left before you head out of town and up into the Skatecreek Forest, and it is a ways up there.
One year my brother thought he was being so funny, it was when Lavender Fields Dreamer was about 9 with her cousins. We were picking away and my brother comes running over the hill yelling bear. Scared the pee whoop diddle out of us, trying to gather up the kids and make sure every one was safe. Then he started laughing. Oh did he get it.....
let me know.
Carol Sue
Enjoying the moments. |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2007 : 08:33:26 AM
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Topic of conversation around our table last night was making pie crusts from rendered bear lard. Not me. Those that have had it though say it makes the best crust. I guess more for them. Carol Sue, I'll get back to you on places you might go searching. Most huckleberry spots are secret, since they are so small. May not be very farmgirl of me to keep my secret, but I can pass on information about where you can go looking. :) I'll e-mail you. :)
We make a difference. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2007 : 08:48:42 AM
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I wonder how easy it is to grow huckleberries in my garden...
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2007 : 1:39:08 PM
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My fingers are purple, no I don't have some terrible disease--just got back from picking huckleberries. Jim and I had a great time. Lots of huckleberries, perfect temperature, beautiful view of the Kettle River range and the Columbia River (Lake Roosevelt) to the west, another mountain range to the east. Throw in the laughter of some cute kids picking with they're grandma and grandpa.The huckleberries were thick but you sure have to pick a lot to get a huge number. Unlike blueberries that can grow in clusters, huckleberries grow singlely. We got about 5 quarts and shall go again since it's so close to us.
Alee, to answer your question about growing them in your garden to my knowledge they haven't been domesticated and peoples attempts to transplant them to their gardens have failed. First they need a higher elevation to grow among other unknown factors.JoAnn |
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Cindy Lee
True Blue Farmgirl
510 Posts
Cindy
Sparks
Nevada
USA
510 Posts |
Posted - Jul 24 2007 : 1:56:21 PM
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| Oh, that makes me jealous! My grandma lived in McCall ID. and she was a huckleberry picking machine!! I can't even begin to tell you all the things she made with those little beauties! Such fun memories of hiking around with her! |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Jul 27 2007 : 4:06:08 PM
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JoAnn, we've got matching fingers. Grin.
Alee, there's a place in Tekoa called Plants of the Wild, they sell huckleberry starts, but note that they are notoriously hard to transplant. My great grandmother told me they just won't grow the same at home no matter what you do, even if you transplant the whole hillside. I haven't tried it, but for $1 per start, it's worth a try. Should be interesting anyway. I've seen them growing at the 2100 elevation...seem to like elk droppings, or elk like the bushes. Maybe it's the temperature and snowpack? Now there would be a crop! Huckleberry farmin'
update...went to my favorite huckleberry patch, and a bear had moved in! I didn't know it until I heardsniff sniff sniff. Sounded like a horse sniffing a bucket for the last oats. I didn't want to be the last oats, so I ran lickety split back to the truck. I had bearspray on my belt, but better to get out than have to use it. I'm declaring my season over. Berries are nice, but so is coming home in one piece.
We make a difference. |
Edited by - Huckelberrywine on Jul 29 2007 10:15:19 AM |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2007 : 11:05:26 AM
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| Just had homemade pancakes made from the buttermilk left when you make butter per Maryjane's instructions from her book topped with huckleberry syrup. Jim tried to make jelly but it didn't set up but it makes great syrup. JoAnn |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2007 : 2:24:49 PM
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Oh that sounds yummy!
Michelle- I am glad you are okay! Did you actually see the bear or did you hear it only? Not that just hearing it isn't enough!!
yikes!
Alee
The amazing one handed typist! One hand for typing, one hand to hold Nora! |
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Huckelberrywine
True Blue Farmgirl
1607 Posts
Michelle
Rosalia
1607 Posts |
Posted - Jul 30 2007 : 09:46:52 AM
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Didn't see it, didn't want to. EEP! I was in tall bushes...big mistake. And near a natural seep of water. Now that I've calmed down, I can see what a perfect environment it is for a bear. I'd move in too. So, I've crossed that spot off my list. It was a high spot anyway, and I'll do my picking earlier in the season at lower elevations next year, and avoid foraging in the tall bushes, sticking to the low growing variety with good visibility.
We make a difference. |
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Garden Gate: Huckleberries are ripening! |
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Huckleberries are ripening!
