HUCKLEBERRIES - Reviewing This Tasty Fruit Related to Blueberries - Weird Fruit Explorer

Episode 526: Huckleberries
Binomial Name: Vaccinium membranaceum
Location: Grown in Washington, Reviewed in NYC
Plants available at: www.wanderlustnursery.com
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[@telegramsam]

It's always interesting how much difference in flavor there is between wild berries and their cultivated relatives. I never bother buying blackberries at supermarkets, because I remember what the ones I picked as a kid out in the woods in north Georgia tasted like. The grocery store berries are reliably sweet in a way the wild ones aren't always, but they never have much of a distinctive taste.

[@MaxOakland]

There’s a huge variety in taste just from different plants and locations. And huckleberries are a fruit that are super varied. they taste wildly different even on the same plant!

[@oo2454]

grocery store strawberries are the worst

[@aliengreaser2597]

My grandma would always go up into the mountains near our rez and gather all the grandkids into what we called “The Huckleberry Van” (an old purple camping van) and drive up the steep dirt mountainside in it to her prime huckleberry spots. When she was buried, we all put huckleberry branches on top of her casket :) They hold such a dear place in my heart- I HIGHLY recommend making huckleberry cobbler and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Best fruit in the world imo, and only the best can be found in Washington

[@WeirdExplorer]

what a nice memory :)

[@cd-zw2tt]

dude you know, you're one of those channels that I had no idea that I needed in my life. Like, if you told me a year ago that one of my favorite content creators would be a fruit reviewer, I wouldn't believe it. Keep up the high quality content man, KZbin needs people like you.

[@klaxxor]

When picking huckleberries in the woods, watch out for bears! They love them too!

[@UPLINKUSA]

Just take a broom with you. If a bear bothers you, give it a swat with the broom and say "Get out of here you old bear!" That's what my Granny used to do to get them off the porch.

[@aliengreaser2597]

One time my grandma thought us grandkids were playing a trick on her by shaking a bush nearby her picking huckleberries- turns out it was a black bear! They both startled each other and ran in opposite directions 🤣

[@charlottesrathermin4566]

Montana native here! Every year I go up to the mountains and pick them. I have no idea the type of huckleberries that I pick but they are pretty good in pancakes.

[@haydenamaro]

Huckleberries in Idaho and Washington have never been cultivated commercially (not for lack of trying) - you have to find them in the woods in the late summer up in the mountains on well drained slopes. It's a big thing, no one will tell you where they find their huckleberries. Foraged huckleberries are fundamentally different than the products you'll find in gift shops and taste completely different. I imagine they're an entirely different cultivar. I have some foraged ones from the Olympics in my freezer I could send your way.

[@dawnchesbro4189]

Grazing red huckleberries while hiking in the cascades are some of my fondest memories as a child! I personally prefer the red ones to the black huckleberries.

[@user-account-not-found]

I live at the entrance to cascades and can tell you that the berries on the mountains are the most magical parts of hiking up here.

[@noahdavis2205]

Every time I visit family in Washington, my family and me spend time in priest lake Idaho (up at the end of the pan handle). We pick 2 gallons minimum and ship them back to North Carolina, where we live. They are worth it.

[@haseo8244]

Now have him try different serviceberries species and the challenge of wild foraging huckleberry in different habitations.

[@MaxOakland]

wild ones are the absolute best

[@whorurlly]

Your channel is what made me get really interested in fruit. Thank you for everything :D Merry Christmas Jared!

[@Cadwaladr]

"The thing about huckleberries is, once you've had fresh, you'll never go back to canned." --Nelson Muntz

[@theories665]

Had to search that up, very funny how it relates to this. Nice quote :D

[@myceilauniverse9096]

So true fresh huck is out of this world!

[@phenn7774]

Here in Montana we love huckleberries. I like them a lot more than blueberries and when it peak season they are actually quite sweet fresh. Certainly more tart, but not imbalanced to the point where you can't eat a few cups of them fresh. Not sure which variety we have here, but if I get into a bunch this summer I'll have to send some your way.

[@theories665]

I remember going on a trip to Yellowstone and on a pit stop in Montana (or so I believe), I saw a store full of huckleberry products. Very cool as I had never heard of huckleberries before, except in Mark Twain literature.

[@phenn7774]

@@theories665 That sounds like an awesome memory! Yes, as he said in the video huckleberry products are everywhere around here, although I'd say they don't do justice to how good the fresh huckleberry actually is (except for the jam, I made a bunch of huckleberry jam last year and it was to die for!)

[@theories665]

@@phenn7774 I don't live near Montana, sadly. But wow, that sounds like an awesome recipe! Merry Christmas Eve.

[@phenn7774]

@@theories665 You as well!

[@tymonritco8578]

I grew up eating the red huckleberries as a kid. There were tons of them in the back forest areas where I grew up on Vancouver Island in Canada.

[@doeiika]

Shoot, I'm on the island right now! I had no idea they grew here; thats so cool

[@Ellzy1]

We had them on the mainland too.

[@alanhyt79]

I grew up on the Pacific Coast of Washington. We picked wild huckleberries off-trail in the woods. They were red huckleberries, though. They were on the tart side, so my mom made pies from them.

[@rebellion795]

Down in humboldt mountains we got tons of the black kind at higher elevations and blackberries too. They say the Indians planted them before the white man came. Once and a while ill see a sickly sad red huckelberry all alone in the forest. The black ones are the best and mske a greT jam with the blackberries too. I've been living and growing cannabis up here for 30 years. Nothing changes much in the mountains far away from all the nonsense happening these days . Never thought I'd have internet up here, using satellite.

[@Ellzy1]

We used to pick the red ones up in Vancouver BC area too.

[@ei96byod]

All these different blueberry-like berries you have talked about in your videos have made me realise that what we have in the forests near me (Sweden) is actually several different berries. I always wondered why they sometimes taste differently, and thought it was about the place they grow and the weather that year (that will also affect the taste of course), but now i know it is actually different berries. This year was the first year I started looking closer at the leaves of the plants and realised this, thanks to your videos. Crazy that I have lived my whole life without realising that! Fascinating! I learn so much from your videos. Thank you!

[@WeirdExplorer]

so glad to hear that! there is so much plant diversity out there

[@MaxOakland]

these are one of my favorites. these grow a lot in the mountains of Montana

[@JTMusicbox]

No matter how frequently you post videos I’m always excited when a new one drops!

[@youtube.commentator]

3:57 again, that's a dewberry I bake with those and make jam every year with them. Much tarter than a blackberry, but by far my favorite

[@ChrisAmidon78]

Dewberry is my most common "weed"

[@youtube.commentator]

@@ChrisAmidon78 they're worth the thorns and scratches... plus they make a good hedge

[@numinous2506]

I've done my own fruit taste testing since watching this channel. Just different apples. Nothing exotic, but I was surprised at the differences you can notice when trying them back to back. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@stevenperry9762]

"I'm your Huckleberry'- John Henry Holliday.

[@StuSaville]

"My fights not with you, Holliday" - Johnny Ringo

[@nunyabidniz2868]

@@StuSaville Didn't work out for J.R. there very well, did it? ;-D

[@benj6927]

And also mccree

[@sophie9419]

I remember huckleberries being red.. I guess that's just another one for you to try! If you get a chance, there's a huge number of human cultivated wild berries in Vancouver and Victoria BC

[@Yikes705]

Honestly never really cared too much about fruit before I found your channel

[@luke_fabis]

Fun fact, Gaylussacia and Vaccinium are in the same family, same tribe even. Both kinds of huckleberry are somewhat close relatives.

[@theories665]

I remember I once went on a trip to Yellowstone, in the Wyoming and Montana region and I went into a store and there were literally shelves of huckleberry everything, jam, chips, drinks, ice-cream, makeup, and so many more. I never checked the labels to see what type they were but it was very cool to see a fruit I never really paid attention to before being used for so much. On a web search, the huckleberries commonly looked for in Montana are the "Vaccinium globulare" (Globe Huckleberry) and the "Vaccinium membranaceum" (Big huckleberry). Your content is always amazing to see and I hope you keep doing what you love. Thank you for your insight on these interesting fruits and plants.

[@JH-lz4dh]

I feel so cheated. I bought something labeled at the market called huckleberries one day. Got them home. Tasted them and it was like putting pure gritty soap in my mouth. They weren't even sour. Just nothing but a grassy soapy flavor. The store gave me my money back, but I think that market got played and they weren't really huckleberries! Still waiting to try again one day.

[@gimlee8669]

Makes me think those were garden huckleberries, which aren't even related to huckleberries. They are terrible which sucks because i've been looking for something to grow like huckleberries for a long time.

[@bunbun_yosei7140]

I've been a huge fan of your channel for a long time. seeing you eat a fruit from my childhood though really made me smile. i have very nostalgic memories of picking huckleberries with my siblings in the mountains of wv. i now live far from the Appalachia's and still buy huckleberry products from time to time to have a little bite of my childhood and good memories.

[@HayTatsuko]

I used to love picking these off wild shrubs near my home in West Alabama. Made a lovely snack for hiking out in the woods!

[@davidstrom7425]

The generic-jarred preserves may be from Canadian berries. There’s been extensive picking in southeast British Columbia, apparently headed to US markets. There’s a red vaccinium variety too, usually just a few plants in the same habitat as the black ones. I’m sure that huckleberries would have more antioxidants than blueberries. My morning oatmeal is darker with them! Thanks for the great videos!

[@carterpochynok4874]

My favorite fruit of all time... I've always thought of them as all of the best flavors of a raspberry and a blueberry in one.

[@KateGoldauthoress]

Woo a video! Happy holidays

[@Barack_Osama]

i love huckleberries i pick them alot here in montana

[@eurosomething]

I take picking huckleberries very serious! I have a second freezer even and both are filled with berries. They are the ultimate superfood, delicious and good for you. It’s super chill and relaxing to spend 4 hours picking a gallon. Evidence is on my tube hobby ;D

[@savannahwatson8074]

Whenever you speak Latin I'm instantly hit with a dose of comforting serotonin. ❤❤❤

[@shinx879]

Huckleberries are a favorite food here in Washington, there are only a few people that actually grow them. Most people will go to mountains (they are a high elevation plant) although you have to be fast to go out and pick them, because elders will usually beat everybody to them.

[@IAmPattycakes]

Ive had red huckleberries before, they grow very well in my grandfather's backyard. It's been a couple of years, but I'm going to have to go back there at some point and help them make a pie again.

[@TRASHMONGR]

I've learned so much incredible stuff from you, thank you!

[@ryanatkinson2978]

Just moved to Oregon, and this made me realize I can probably forage some huckleberries! Excited

[@gimomable]

So glad that you talked about this because I have both growing in my woods here in NC, I just always thought they were a different bilberry, which technically, they are lol. Freezing them and eating them right out of freezer is my favorite

[@calvinleeryan]

Great video! I love huckleberries. Grew up picking and eating them in Northern California, they are definitely my favorite berry alongside thimbleberries which also can be found in the pacific northwest.

[@Sherirose1]

I only knew about Huckleberry Finn Tom's friend, so nice to see the fruit.

[@AllTheCloudsArePink]

Wow that's amazing

[@amandabaker4496]

Great video!

[@Kikilang60]

Thanks Jared. I've never missed not having cool things so much.

[@russellzauner]

We make huckleberry/salmonberry cobbler during bow season as a treat. Most breakfast is basically a few pounds of chanterelle mushrooms fried up with potatoes and onions in butter. :-) I think one year we probably ate like 50-60 pounds of shanties between everyone. Every time they came back from scouting we'd have a couple more paper grocery bags full of shanties they'd found.

[@mandab.3180]

oh man i wanna take shots of huckleberry syrup 🤣 my kinda vice.

[@ericlivingston8027]

Costco sales blueberry jam and I think they also sale huckleberry jam. As for growing and taste huckleberries seem to grow in more of a warm climate than blueberries and are more tart. The evergreen huckleberry is growing zone 6 while something like duke is hardy to zone 3 which is a 30 degree difference in being able to survive.

[@BizzaroBrainBoi]

the king of the fruits have spoken again!

[@greatnortherntroll6841]

In the wilds, if you come across a huckleberry patch, it could easily be a different variety from another patch just down the road apiece... and there are more distinct varieties out there than you can shake a stick at!

[@teleportdinero]

You are intuitive and smart I respect what you do man your a fruit hunter

[@megastoejoe]

I've had multiple huckleberry types. Red, pink, white, blue and "green"(as i know them). Green is blue but the variety just has a more waxy coat with more yeast so it looks somewhat teal in the right light before it has fully ripened- and they're very small). They're all sour "tart", pink and red have more sweetness and tartness (2 in sweet 5-7 tart) in my experience. Have not had black huckleberry. VERY lightly salted red huckleberry is a great breakfast cereal additive.

[@brandon9172]

hold up, WHITE huckleberry? White when fully ripened or unripe?? I am very skeptical such a thing exists

[@megastoejoe]

It's a 3-6 foot tall underbrush berry bush. Long maturation. It has a white glossy fruit with a pink blush. but it is pink ripe at end of berry season in the north west. Pollinates easily with reds. it fruits in season with blue Huckleberry. Light pink but called white. Yes it's a thing.

[@ThePhantazmya]

Merry Christmas!

[@sleepyoldtiger372]

Have a happy and safe holiday! 🎄

[@greatmike3120]

Growing up in Idaho we would pick huckleberrys in the mountains every summer. I didn't even know what blueberries tasted like until I had them once for school lunch, I thought they were dull when compared to huckleberrys.

[@magmatri-studios]

In the North-East huckleberries are nowhere to be found and nobody knows what they are. But around the mid-west those berries seem to be much more popular and well known.

[@daisy1339]

We just moved to Northern Idaho and huckleberries are big business here and picked fresh in the wild! Loved this episode!

[@callumc6593]

Cool you should try Bunya pine cone seeds next.

[@jimjim01938]

I was in the Boy Scouts when I was a kid and I went to this one camp in central Idaho when I was 12/13. I remember the edges of trails being filled to the brim with huckleberries and often found myself snacking on them during my time there between merit badge activities. Way better than blueberries IMO.

[@djadysiti7371]

Wow love the information,,🤩🤩🤩 ❄️oh yeah almost forgot happy holidays and merry Christmas jared😆🎉☃️🎉🎄❄️☃️🎉

[@Zfabaksem]

I don't know if you have any huckleberries left, but if you have a chance to try one thats overripe and very squishy, they have a completely different flavor thats incredible. They taste almost exactly like St Germain Elderberry Liquor. Fantastic flavor. When I was hiking with my friend in Glacier National Park we feasted off the overripe ones whenever we could find them. Definitely a night and day difference in flavor.

[@LackofAmbition]

I live in Big Sky Montana, and huckleberry flavor everything is very popular here! I see a lot ice cream and coffee.

[@slinkyrabbit27]

These little things are pretty prevalent in oregon, I had a huckleberry lemonade there and it was lovely

[@benny_lemon5123]

I didnt know huckleberries were so closely related to blueberries. Blues are my favorite, so I'll definitely have to track down some huckleberries to try. Great vid!

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

My hometown was the "huckleberry capitol of the world". Found more blackberries when I was out and about.

[@matthiasmorse5263]

aww hell yea i'm early and huckleberries are my favorites! so many here kinds here in oregon.

[@4311Angel]

Same here in Western WA. So good

[@bagodon]

Cheryl's! I love her stuff, she sold her homemade jams at holiday bazaars around here up until this year. Yum.

[@TheNeers71]

The huckleberries we would pick in western Montana were like blueberries with all of the flavor turned up. They were more tart and sweet. Amazing snacking berry.

[@meddler69]

Gummy bears labels are the exact same labeling as the ones I saw at devil's tower Wyoming, and around deadwood south dakota, the same labels also as the huckleberry chocolate and taffy

[@WeirdExplorer]

I have a feeling that if I did a big investigative deep dive on who actually makes these mysterious products it'll probably be in Long Island NY.

[@ivythay4259]

I remember my grade-middle school English teacher giving the class huckleberry taffy from time to time. it was pretty good.

[@harisongriffin]

Loved eating this when I worked as a laborer, we ate them thinking they were southern blueberries but they were way better. Love from the south.

[@user-account-not-found]

I grow red huckleberries and evergreen huckleberries. Between these, gooseberries, and currants it's hard to decide which is better.

[@terryenglish7132]

I guess its Huckleberries we have here at Cape Henlopen state park. Tiny black Blueberries. But ours are sweeter than both the wild Blueberries that also grow there, and a typical store Blueberry.

[@anne-droid7739]

Thank you for the berry hack from Nelson Muntz. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw that you were doing huckleberries, but I couldn't remember just what he'd said.

[@ConLogosz]

If you get the chance to grab some Tillamook huckleberry ice cream, I highly recommend it. It tastes like summer in NE Oregon.

[@cherylchristian5673]

The huckleberries we pick every year cannot be raised commercially. They only grow over 4000 feet in the mountains and you have to look hard for them. Many people have secret patches they go to every year and the season only lasts about a month. And many times there aren’t many on the bush. But they are worth the work. They have a very strong flavor; I mix them half and half with blueberries in my jams to extend them and they taste only of huckleberries. I live in northeast Oregon but they are all over the mountainous regions of the Northwest.

[@NecroBanana]

I once met a man named Huckleberry. He had a friend named Jim.

[@rebellion795]

I live in the mountains of humboldt and up in the Chaparral rainforest there are miles of vaccinium blue huckelberries and blackberries that line the dirt switchback roads. After tending to my cannabis plantation I go walk down the mountainside with a bowl to bring heaps of bothinto my camp to make jam. Its said the Yurok Indians planted all them ages ago. Huckleberries are the best they are like blueberries (which can be found sparsely up there) except they are purple inside not clear and they sre smaller and way tastier and sweet and slightly tart. I pop right off the bushes into my mouth. The black bears love them too and they are fat like sumo wrestlers up in mu parts.. Also once in a while youll come across a sad red Huckleberry in a forest clearing but mostly they are at much higher elevations or further north into Oregon. Huckleberry come to fruit in september and their leaves are like small blueberry or the also related manzanita. which grows plentiful . There sre two types of blackberries too which is my second favorite fruit. They sre so thick with thorns and chock full of glistening sweet black goodness. The rarer kind has serrated leaves and grows lower to the ground. I love 💘 the Huckleberry. The true huckelberry

[@GeneralArmorus]

finally! huckleberry!

[@nytrodioxide]

Now I want some huckleberries

[@JohnSmith-nd9oh]

I knew about 20 different berries ate most of them but I always thought through ignorance and huckleberries were something you heard about in the Tom Sawyer books. I didn’t know they were a real Berries. I’ll have to find out if they grow in my neck of the woods in Minnesota

[@Sherirose1]

Another reader ❤️♥️ yay! One of my favourite books .

[@maureenseel118]

God I miss huckleberries. Best pancakes, best muffins...best everything.

[@hart3673]

Have you reviewed alpine strawberries? Would love to see that!

[@GolosinasArgentinas]

Nice!

[@sarahmakeswarnotlove]

I’m from Montana were huckleberries are plentiful. They’re delicious! Huckleberry ice cream 👌🏻

[@Peter_Parker69]

Thanks for making this berry mess a little clearer

[@57125]

When will shirts be available?

[@geordie7269]

if anybody wants to find the berrys fresh look for a high altitude location like a mountain during spring to early summer

[@Relinquicide]

speaking of wintergreen... have you ever reviewed Wintermelon? it's pretty common in some asian cuisines, and people do amazing carvings on them too.

[@WeirdExplorer]

I haven't yet. it would be an interesting one to try!

[@romanes_eunt_domus]

I always wondered if there was a difference in the fruits, or if it was the same with 2 names

[@noellegrace98]

I feel like a huckleberry is a in-between of a blueberry and a raw cranberry, leaning a little more towards cranberry on the the tartness side. But yet it’s still it’s own thing!

[@DJ-vf5gu]

Huckleberries make good pies and jam!

[@carcass688]

Rad! A NYer that can pronounce Oregon correctly AND teaches the world about [rare] fruits!

[@sinisterthoughts2896]

People mispronounced Oregon? I shouldn't be surprised, but it really isn't that hard.

[@Lukos0036]

I'm surprised they aren't more popular. And pawpaws.

[@xiRePeNTx]

I read Huckleberry Finn as a kid man those are some kindergarten memories

[@michaelbengtsson6416]

Awesome vid as Allways :) Here in Sweden our wild blueberries ( Vaccinium myrtillus L ) aren't green/white, they are blue/black and the size is same as the huckleberry. Those huge blueberries doesn't grow here at all. Keep Up the awesome work ❤️

[@fartreta]

They are the ones that are called bilberries in English. Jag tror han provade dem när han var i Finland. Gott nytt :)

[@michaelbengtsson6416]

@@fartreta Aha! Thx for the correction 😁 God fortsättning och gott nytt till dig med :)

[@thermalenjoyer]

My mom loves huckleberries

[@RavelCladin]

Have you ever tried Marrubium vulgare? It's more popularly taken as candy or medicine.

[@threelittledoves]

How do these compare to bilberries? I grew up eating bilberries and would love to have them in my garden! Sadly I have not been able to find them for sale. They also might not grow in my zone. If huckleberries are similar I might give them a try instead!

[@bconsilio3764]

If I had that syrup there would be vanilla ice cream in my future!

[@fCLEF007]

never seen one, never tasted one, someone needs to export these to Australia please!

[@StuffandThings_]

Red huckleberries in the lowlands of Washington are really something special. Shame that they're so hard to find, I used to have a spot so loaded you couldn't possibly pick them all! Probably my favorite fruit native to the Pacific Northwest. Up in the cascades, the berry foraging is amazing, you can just find massive patches of berries in the right places.

[@marblegray]

I might go to college in that area- can't wait to explore different nature to our dusty and somewhat boring southern california climate.

[@StuffandThings_]

The best foraging in the USA is probably in the east coast. There are definitely a few neat berries out in the PNW but not a ton. Mostly huckleberries, salal, salmonberries, and oregon grape.

[@marblegray]

@@StuffandThings_ That makes sense to me! There's literally just brush though here so it will be at least an improvement..

[@StuffandThings_]

@@marblegray Yes, there sure is a hell of a lot more nature up north! Do beware though, that the temperate climate presents some... unique challenges if you're into growing exotic stuff.

[@Locut0s]

In the words of Nelson from the Simpsons.... Ha! Ha!

[@cassianocauepossasporto9373]

It's definitely better than common blueberries!

[@frogjunk]

I love picking huckleberrys. Eat as many as I can and fill the bucket as I go. I’m in bc. You should try Saskatoons.

[@griffinc3263]

He’s done saskatoons: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIHbfKaLeMR1aZI