[pct-l] Pct-l Digest, Vol 28, Issue 141

[Nathan Miller]

> That's it, turn in your hiker card on the way out the
> door!  <grin>
> 
> Seriously, there are several different varieties of
> huckleberries.  The best
> ones are simply amazing: the short stubby plants that grow
> in high,
> sub-alpine areas.  Find them in early September when
> they've been warmed by
> the sun all day . . . wow.  There's just all kinds of
> fruit flavors mixed
> together.  It's indescribable.  Can't get
> anything like that from a store.

I concur.  The time of year and the weather will influence the ripeness and sugar content of the fruit.  Most of us have gone down the road to pick blackberries to find that some are nice and juicy and tender and sweet, while others are really firm and very sour.  That's exactly the way it is with huckleberries or pretty much any other fruit, for that matter.  Yes, there are several species.  The small, red-fruited red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) is either barely flavorful or slightly bitter.  Evergreen huckleberry (V. ovatum) is edible, but tends not to develop the sugar content of most of the others.  You'll find the good ones generally above 4000 ft. in the Oregon and Washington Cascades, although they'll not likely be even close to ripe in Oregon during through-hiking season.
Keep your eyes peeled for native strawberries.  Their fruits are very small, but very flavorful!  After eating just one, you'll never go back to supermarket berries.

-Nate the Trail Zombie