EatTheWeeds: Episode 136: Blueberries and huckleberries

www.eattheweeds.com
www.eattheweeds.com/forum/
Blueberries and their relatives huckleberries are among the most popular of wild and cultivated berries. Learn what to look for and how to identify them.

[@Phoenix502]

I see that you read and respond to people watching your vids. I would like to say thank you for all of the Information that you share with us I have learned so much by watching your vids i seem to find myself looking for weeds that i can eat when out in the woods on camping trips or hiking. You have taught me a great deal about the wilderness and kinda how to survive. For that i am grateful will keep watching keep up the good work. From an eager to learn person.

[@he7is7at7hand]

Hi. I really appreciate your videos. I like the way you know and say and repeat the names of the plants so often. Maybe I can remember them that way.

[@SurvivalInFlames]

I just searched for huckleberries last night on youtube to no avail, I'm very thankful to find this today from my favorite identifier, thank you sir!

[@Jesses001]

I grew up in New Jersey. The forest I grew up in had blueberries covering the entire forest floor. Hundreds of acres of blueberries growing below the pines and oaks. We always had plenty of them to eat, and ever animal in the forest ate them, even the bears.

[@theartist53]

Hooray! You're back! We missed you big time!!! // I have learned the importance of netting my bushes so that the birds don't pick my bushes clean!

[@phantomcreamer]

Here in Utah we have "relatively" alkaline soils, which makes blueberries virtually impossible to grow in the ground here. The more on the acidic side a soil is here, it is assumed to be "good soil." I've settled with serviceberries and black currants as my blueberry substitutes. The black currants do surprisingly well in full shade.

[@nancyfahey7518]

I got 3 blueberry bushes from a farmer, must be 20 or more years old. They are planted right up near the trunk of a huge pine tree and i noticed early on when watering with the hose they weren't happy. Turns out our water in Florida is too alkaline. I never rake or pretty up the area. The leaves and twigs protect the roots from the hot summer sun. The cardinals usually get the berries before I can.

[@eric960430]

Makes my day seeing a new EatTheWeeds in my subscription box. Thanks Deane!

[@ptkenterprise70]

glad to see you back...

[@fantasyreflection]

Blueberries generally ripen before raspberries. The reduced amount of micronutrients in either berry is made up in the other, creating a perfect balance.

[@Prepare2Survive]

Peterson field guide says - American Indians used leaf tea as a blood purifier, also used for colic, labor pains, and as a tonic after miscarriage.

[@9sec93lx]

I live in SE Florida and we have what's called "Rabbiteye" Blueberries on our property (8 FEET tall), along with WILD Muscadine grapes and Raspberries of an unknown type. Our Blueberries start out green and turn a deep Blue when ripe. The foliage comes out red and turns a Bluish color when it matures. It spreads like wildfire by underground runners. When I was growing up in the "Pine Barrens" of South Jersey, all you had to do was walk into the woods and the Blueberries were thick almost everywhere. I have the same "Arrowhead" vine growing on my land, Watch out for the thorns...

[@davidthegood]

Green Deane - I'm a fellow forager, Floridian and food-forest guy. I'm also a composer. I'll e-mail you directly and get you access to my music library, if there's anything you might want to use. I too am tired of the copyright/licensing craziness.

[@m081779]

you're a renaissance man Green Dean. I always love your videos, and I refer back to them constantly.

[@bedenshire]

Finally a new camera! The footage looks absolutely excellent, Mr. Deane! Thank you for all the wonderful knowledge you share so regularly. Looking forward to the next video.

[@mtower235]

Your passion and knowledge of your profession is astounding. I wish I would have had instructors like you in college. I appreciate you sharing everything with us and only can hope to remember a portion of it. Thanks

[@muhammadsmith1287]

THANK YOU for giving us the information about crown berries...my kid just ate a berry and I was unsure if it was edible...but now I know.

[@jjthejinxx]

Thank you so very much for going threw all that to inform us all. I just love your channel ! I have been able to retain all the info. from you. That isn't something I can do easily... I am a hands on learner. With you it is like being hands on. God bless and keep you in his good grace. :)

[@omanafire]

Im glad to see another upload from you!

[@ScaryFear]

I enjoyed this ep. Where were you hiking? Is it a park? I'm in th north Tampa area so I love seeing familaiar Florida habitat in your vids.

[@SongOfWhiteWolf]

I grew up picking and eating Huckleberries. I think they out taste Blueberries 10 times over. Huckleberry Rhubarb pie... yummmmm :0) I don't know about there, but if I come upon a semi fresh burn I start looking for Morels. They seem to pop up all over shortly after the fire. Some of the best mushroom hunts start the week after a wild fire. And a few fights over claims.. lol

[@Jefferdaughter]

About the best reason I could think of! So enjoy your videos & website. Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge, and is such an interesting manner. Cheers!

[@fantasyreflection]

You have different varieties than what grows wild in Canada. Our blueberries, when ripe, are reddish in early morning then blue up as the day goes. Nutrition is highest when picked in early a.m. Our wild berries are very tasty. Growth is usually maybe up to the knees depending on weather.

[@Jefferdaughter]

Deane, why did you not add peat moss to the soil when you planted your blueberries? To help ensure the acidity they like, (and maybe increase the moisture retention in Florida's sandy soils)?

[@m3w]

Wonderful video as always! Please tell us where you are on each hike, even county will do. Thanks, Max and Erin from St. Augustine.

[@YouDirtyMutha]

The Dean of Green is back!

[@chunfu2]

You're Back!

[@karenhorvath8056]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am reading "The Blueberry Years" by Jim Minick

[@JoeMac1983]

You're back!

[@Moonsabie]

enjoying your content. thanks joe

[@frankenz66]

Katydids, LOL! I remember when I moved from a southern state, in late summer, to western Colorado in the high mountains. When I got to the destination, I opened my moving van rear door and a katydid just flew out of my van and went off into a stand of sagebrush. I said well good luck with that. Only trees nearby were cottonwoods and aspens by the creek. It frosted that night. I never heard any out there so I assumed they were not native, but I can't always stop hitchhikers. They are pretty, but very annoying to hear ...particularly up close. They can make your ears hurt or mine anyways. I think you can use katydid's call patterns to gauge the air temperature. I am certain she/he shut up that night. Thanks for the video I came here looking to see if your video had information on Huckleberries. I am also trying to ID some varieties of them on my property here in North Arkansas. I have the blue and the black huckleberries. The blue one's seem to be less stressed however. The black one seem to some kind of blight last summer. I have some strange looking plants, by fruit and plant structure that I am only assuming are wild gooseberries I have something that looks a lot like the Deer berries your showing. But I do not know...do they grow here too? Or just down that way? Hard to find a lot of info about them and all of them. Thanks for your video.

[@TelepathicT]

very informational, greattttt. thanks so much. love the style.

[@EatTheWeeds]

There was no itemizing on this one because there are so many variations (leave are NOT edible3.) As for music it is a pain... I have paid via licensing for every piece of music I have used except that which I have composed myself. Eight companies have claimed copyright violations even though licencing fees were paid for the music, several of them claiming to own the same music. Read there are fake companies out their trying to get illegal royalities & fees. I'll probably drop music altogether.

[@AnHonestDoubter]

Great vid as always, thanks!

[@PrimateSoul]

Black blueberries imo are the best! I had some wild high bush in Waldo. Pine scrub and many pop up

[@EatTheWeeds]

I'm currently scheduled four weeks out, and will be adding an August road tour to the list.

[@RubberWilbur]

Dean when are you going to resume your classes? I noticed on your website that you don't have any new ones listed.

[@thebardisashieldmaiden1754]

Very good identification video.

[@shellipern3102]

Awesome Dean!!

[@playerslayer91]

I'm lucky enough to know of a spot near me (in Florida) where I can get tons of wild blueberries! some of the varieties get huge. About half the size of the commercially grown ones.

[@Thingsandcosas]

On my way to upstate new york to pick some incredible wild blueberries and get out of the heat! : )

[@EatTheWeeds]

Thanks... there were no huckleberries to show but they look just like blueberries, though the number of the seeds are always 10.

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@2manysigns]

Super cool ! Thank You !

[@Psillytripper]

woot my favorite florida wild edibles!

[@cassowinski]

yum

[@karenhorvath8056]

Wow great video quality, is it in 4K?

[@Jefferdaughter]

That's very interesting. In pasture plants, grasses, forbes & legumes, the nutrition level is higher in the afternoon. Apparently the plant is busy converting sunlight into food all day but not at night, so the nutrition of morning harvested hay, haylage, or silage is lower - and pasture grazed in the morning - is lower than in the afternoon. I wonder if fruit may decrease in nutrition (once ripe) due to degradation by sunlight? I can't think of any other reason. Anyway, interesting.

[@EatTheWeeds]

I did that one near Deland.

[@rataMacue22]

Was curious - is Medeola virginiana common in your area? It is one of my family's favorite snacks while hiking. I've read that it is scarce, but in our area (western central NH) it is quite abundant. A delicious, ready to eat morsel!

[@cassowinski]

i hope your right about no toxic crownberries

[@rlt94]

creeping snowberries are an exception

[@EatTheWeeds]

Been very busy with the Green Deane Forum and classes. I hope to do another video next week. This was planned last week but Tropical Storm Debbie had other ideas.

[@EatTheWeeds]

If you mean Solanum americanum the berries are edible when totally ripe, read black and shiny and no hint of green or any mottling.

[@Prepare2Survive]

You can make a tea from the leaves too.

[@EatTheWeeds]

I was in Deland.

[@t38ip]

Deane, unless I missed it, you did not give us a close up of the Gallberry. I live in Fl near Weeki Wachee and would like to tell the Gallberry from the rest. Does the berry have a crown or not? Any info will help. Thank you!!!

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes, acorns when leached of their tannins are very edible.

[@queenelcene638]

ThankYou ❤ Green Deane

[@evon1987]

I think I have what might be a wild blueberry bush in my front flower garden I'm kinda hoping although I didn't plant it all the better though ;)

[@gopackgo2235]

Hiya Green Dean, Quick question. I am in Okanagan Valley area of B.C. On my property I have what I assume to be huckleberries. They have no dust on outside, and are purple not white in center. Obviously they are out of season so I can't count seeds, nor look for gold spots on leaves. Would you know off hand if they are huckles or blues? I can't answer my own question for months.

[@WeirdCrazyShortGuy]

I'm going to laugh if you tell me you filmed this at Wekiwa Springs. I volunteer at Wekiwa and was just there yesterday!

[@MrCrunchybizzle]

Green Deane is one of my role models.

[@PermacultureFarming]

Do an episode on skullcap. It's my favorite!

[@BushCraftyAlpha]

where is this trial? it looks kind of like ocala.

[@EatTheWeeds]

While my site is EatTheWeeds a British site is EatWeeds and they have some material more related to your area of the world.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes, as they are closely related to blueberries... little five-pointed crowns.

[@yeshuaisthewaythetruthandt515]

Thanku

[@gavazzfromoz]

do you have a book i can buy.

[@fantasyreflection]

After a forest fire the blueberries are often the first plant life to return and will be prolific.

[@realworldprepper]

Alex, speaking to Jim, " I don't think those are blueberries." What do you mean?" asked Jim. "Well, they are blue berries, but they may not be blueberries." answered Alex. ...to paraphrase the dialogue from an episode from the TV sitcom series "Taxi". Good advice not to eat anything you cannot positively identify.

[@MrSillyserpents]

think you going out and making this vid hope the feet get better soon

[@Atoyota]

do huckleberries also have crowns?

[@charronfamilyconnect]

Thanks for the video! Is it true that most black berries found in the wild are edible, or are there many exceptions? Thanks!

[@jeffg4686]

Hi Dean, great video. What do you do to protect yourself from rattlesnakes on your walks?

[@greendeane1]

Interesting questions. I see then regularly but usually they are in the path and they move on. One didn't and we had to go around. Here in Florida it is routine procedure to carry a stick and to tap on logs before you step over or tap a bush before you reach into it.

[@jeffg4686]

@@greendeane1 - thanks

[@MrSwiftkills]

Anything usefull from any kind of Oak? please reply thanks :)

[@davidc6074]

Hello sir, I was an Idaho State Ranger and I would like to show you what I call the herkerberry of the millions of spp there r but realy I know were to go in north Idaho pm plz

[@chunfu2]

wooo!!

[@beckyfraser9424]

who is from montana and are watching this in 2020

[@iHeartAddie]

I thought you can only find low bush blueberries up north! I'm also from Florida and I would love to grow low bush blueberries. Can you grow huckleberries? I love them more than blueberries.

[@greendeane1]

Thanks for writing. There are native huckleberries in Florida. You can grow them ad blueberries but you must amend the soil. They like acidic soil and Florida is a limestone plate. So you must check the soil around them regularly and acidify it.

[@iHeartAddie]

Where can you buy them?

[@ryanownsu10]

how do you DE-seed both berries or can you eat the seeds?

[@EatTheWeeds]

To my knowledge the seeds are always eaten.

[@ryanownsu10]

EatTheWeeds cool thanks for the info. keep up the good work ive learned alot from the videos ive seen i appreciate your hard work

[@EatTheWeeds]

Actuall I did but some how that minute got cut out of the video. The gallberry does NOT have a crown. And the tip of the leaf is shaped like the boy scout salute.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Scutellaria lateriflora is medicinal and I'm about edibles.

[@rataMacue22]

Probably not what you're looking for, but you are more than welcome to use my original music - free, no need for credits even. I just uploaded 5 (i think) songs. I have many more. Let me know if interested.

[@slackkeylady]

black and blue.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Only before the darker one ripen.

[@phrankus2009]

Man, Deane, The things you do for us ! ... Watching you melt is hard to watch. I hope you had enough water with you. CROWNS ... So, do all crown-type berries have 5 points, like the berry you presented ? ... Also ... You never did hold a Huckleberry up so I am guessing that they look just like Blueberries .. Hmmm ? Thanks for torturing yourself, on our behalf. ... Toodles.

[@charronfamilyconnect]

Thats certainly a better rule of thumb to follow. I was also told to stay away from all food that is white as its better for your health. LOL!! One last question, How many toxic red berry plants exist that resemble a wild cherry that you know of in the North Eastern part of USA and Canada? Thanks!

[@EatTheWeeds]

Hmmmm... you might want to read up on that... more like a medicine than an innocent tea...

[@planetbob4709]

Now that youtube has become so very difficult. It would be great if you moved your vids to steemit.com

[@cyclos12]

You are like if Allen Ginsberg followed the path of an upbeat botanist rather than a world weary poet.

[@EatTheWeeds]

All the time, and consistently in one particular kind of place. I leave it alone. I don't need either the owners or the police bothering me.

[@EatTheWeeds]

There are no rules of thumb involving berries except 99.9999999% of white berries are toxic.

[@grady1610]

Also, they love fire prone areas. Potash.....

[@MithradatesMegas]

I'm your Huckleberry.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes, medicine... not an every day drink...

[@ArthurHau]

huckleberry shrubs are evergreen.

[@lieblee3063]

I thought this is about huckleberry?

[@greendeane1]

There are black blueberries, blue huckleberries and a lot of edible Vaccinums in between regardless of their common names.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Probably too much wine on a summer day...

[@opnavesea]

"i'm your huckleberry"