How Huckleberries Influence American Culture
You might think of many things when someone asks you to imagine gourmet foods, but how likely is it that you will think of huckleberry jams, huckleberry candies, huckleberry honeys, and huckleberry cakes? Most people have never enjoyed the delicious, wild, mountain-grown huckleberries that are typically found in national forests in Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and some parts of western Canada and Alaska. Native American tribes have enjoyed huckleberries since time out of mind. They also traded huckleberries to white settlers, who had never tasted anything quite like the rich berries before.
Although dozens of recipes and products based on huckleberries have been developed through the centuries it is not easy to prepare them for they do not tolerate heat well. Expert huckleberry cooks often have to experiment with recipes before getting their products just right. And because it is not yet possible to grow huckleberries on a commercial scale there are no national brands for the huckleberry market. In fact, still being classified as exotic and gourmet foods, huckleberry products are not yet subjected to the most rigorous standards. But don’t let that stop you from trying them. Huckleberries are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants.
Huckleberry enthusiasts are so loyal to their favorite berry they often don’t share their sources for the delicious mountain fruits even with friends or close relatives. Most people have to go on extended shopping expeditions to major cities in the region to find the best huckleberry products, although many companies now offer their products for sale over the Internet. A few regional huckleberry packagers also have exclusive contracts with national parks to provide huckleberry products to the park stores.
Huckleberries have inspired some of the most imaginative literature and humor in American history. From Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn to Hanna-Barbera’s Huckleberry Hound, and including Val Kilmer’s famous “I’m your huckleberry” line in the movie “Tombstone”, huckleberries have made appearances in all manner of Americana.
To say that huckleberries are the best of America’s exotic fruits might be deemed an extravagant claim by people who have never tasted the sweet cousin of the blueberry. But they have a saying in the northwest: Once you’ve tried huckleberries, you can’t get enough of them. Or something like that. The point is that huckleberries are immediately recognizable and addicting. They would be sold by more restaurants and stores except that demand outpaces supply every year.
