H is for Huckleberry: Yummy Fruits A-Z

Huckleberries are a wild berry native to the U.S. in the Pacific Northwest, found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and as far as Montana, Wyoming, Canada, and Alaska. The berries are tiny (5 to 10 mm), similar to blueberries, only smaller and tarter in flavor, and the color can be red or blue. 

Native Americans like Montana's Crow tribe and Idaho's Nez Perce gathered huckleberries every season as part of their diet, as did our hardy pioneers who came later to settle in the area. The love for these berries continues to this day, and although people here try to grow them in home gardens, the preferred huckleberry can only be found in the wild. 

Huckleberries grow at elevations 2000 to 11,000 feet. I'm more familiar with those common in Idaho, where I live on the border (elevation 3200). They are Idaho's state fruit, and picking season is mid-to-late summer. I have never picked huckleberries, although I keep saying "one of these days." I am told if I do, I need to watch out for bears. Maybe that's why I have never gone.

I rely on our local farmer's market, where those who faithfully pick in the wild every year, bring in quart jars of berries to sell. I take them home, give them a good cleaning, freeze on cookie sheets, and store in plastic bags. I parcel them out over the year. They are excellent in pancakes, muffins, vinaigrette, sauces, desserts, and simply plain on cereals and ice cream. 

Wild huckleberries are good for us, too. They have five times the anti-oxidant capacity of blueberries according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. They are a good source of vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Lowering of cholesterol, protection against heart disease, glaucoma, varicose veins, ulcers, and pancreatic cancer are a few of the many claims. 

To buy, people can purchase huckleberries in niche markets and online. They are often a tourist item in stores where I live, with huckleberry jam and syrups being the most common products.   

Huckleberry Recipe

(You can substitute blueberries in this recipe, but 
you may need to add more lemon juice for tartness)

"Huckleberry Crisp"

4 cups fresh or frozen huckleberries
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup regular oats
1 cup brown sugar  
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

In 13 x 9 inch baking pan (or 11 x 7) spread huckleberries on bottom of pan, and set aside. In small saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thick and clear. Add vanilla and stir. Pour mixture over prepared huckleberries. 
In bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of berries. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. 
(Serve warm with ice cream). 

Huckleberry Joke

Huckleberry Books 

(Huckleberry holds the award for the most book titles; these are only some!)

--Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884) (the book that started it all)

--Huckleberry Hill; Huckleberry Summer; and Huckleberry Christmas (2014)
by Jennifer Beckstrand 

--Huckleberry Fiend by Julie Smith (2013)

--The Huckleberry Murders by Patrick F. McManus (2011)

--Huckleberry and Jake: How It All Began by Debbie Hester (2014) (picture book)

--Illegal Migrations and the Huckleberry Finn Problem by John S.W. Park (2013 (nonfiction)

--Johnny Mercer: The Life, Times and Song Lyrics of Our Huckleberry Friend by Ginger Mercer (nonfiction) (2009)

--Where the Huckleberries Grow by Agnes Rands (2000)

--Huckleberry Book: All About the West's Most Treasured Berry - From Botany to Bears, Mountain Lore to Recipes 
by 'Asta Bowen (1988) (nonfiction)

Huckleberry Songs 


(Huckleberry also holds the award for the most song titles! All are on YouTube) 


--"Huckleberry" by Tobey Keith

--"Huckleberry Shake" by Michael Hermiston

--"Honeymoon Huckleberry" by Matt Bowlin

--"Huckleberry Hornpipe" by Country Gazette

--"Huckleberry Gold Mine Song" by Huckleberry family

--"Huckleberry Duck" by Raymond Scott (orig. 1940)

--"I Huckleberry Me" - Big River (from Huck Finn musical)

--"Huck Finn Rap" by Z-Meyer & Daddy

--"Huckleberry Road" by Paul Larson (original 2011)

--"Theme Song to Huckleberry Hound" (video link)

(remember this guy??)

Sources: http://www.fruitycuties.com/archive/111-cartoon-huckleberry-joke.htm

http://huckleberry.xenite.org/facts/; http://idahoptv.org/outdoors/shows/tasteofidaho/russellarticle.cfm
http://www.nwwildfoods.com/news.php?article=14

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Celebrate the Small Things: Summer Biking

Today I am celebrating summer biking. Vince and I have biked for most of our married life together. When the children came we strapped them into baby seats on the back (no bike helmets in those days!) and went exploring. Nothing competitive, mind you. We would bike through the neighborhoods, explore the university campus, or pick a destination across town (ice cream comes to mind) - simple, small outings.

I wish I had a photo to share. I did not realize how much those times meant to me until this post. For some reason, my children do not bike with their kids today. They are too busy with jobs and life I guess, and some areas of the country (theirs perhaps) are not bike friendly.

One of the best kept secrets of living on the border of the Northern Idaho Panhandle is the vast trail system available to bikers. Most of the bike trails are old railroad beds that have been paved over. One trail, the Trail of the Hiawatha, requires busing to the top, but the views are so worth the effort. We have biked this graveled trail (all downhill) more than once. Other trails are planned trails that connect our area's small towns, like the Chipman Trail between Moscow and Pullman. All with few exceptions are family friendly (and most cost nothing to use).

Vince and I recently camped and biked out of Harrison, Idaho, a trail head for the popular Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, a seventy-two mile path that follows the old Union Pacific route from Mullan, ID on the Montana border to Plummer (ID) on the Washington border.

Ready to go!!

We passed through St. Maries, Idaho en route. Saw this giant Paul 
Bunyan standing in front of a school. Every child raised in the 
Northwest (my generation at least) grew up with the story of
Paul Bunyan chopping his way through the forest and settling 
the Northwest.

At the trail head, Harrison, Idaho. Trail of the Coeur d 'Alenes.

Vince on trail traveling north. "Are you coming?" 
(We biked 20 miles in one day!)
 

Marshland scenery is lovely. Ducks and lily pads everywhere.

 

A fawn that flirted with us along the trail. We also saw moose and blue heron, but camera wasn't quick enough. There are eagles in the area too.

View from campsite. Lake Coeur d'Alene

Time to rest, time to eat. We love our cabin on wheels.

Back on trail next day along the lake, going south.

That's me on the trail. We wanted to stay longer, but had to get back home.
We biked 8 miles, a total of 28 miles in two days!

  Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Combine Ride: Harvest on the Palouse

I have lived in the Pullman-Moscow region, which borders the states of Washington and Idaho, for over thirty years now. I have watched the dust swirl up around me surrounding these fair towns as the farmers till and harvest the deep black soil of the Palouse, as the land is known. I have stopped behind them in their large farm vehicles, as they traverse our two-lane roads, halting traffic to make a cumbersome turn. I have traveled through the scenery they create in the fields that changes dramatically from green to golden yellow each year without fail. My husband and I have been privileged to meet and know only a few.

BARLEY (about a foot tall; wheat is much taller)

As a child I lived west of the Cascades, but sometimes took trips with a friend's family through Eastern Washington to Coeur d'Alene Lake. En route, we always passed the fields of wheat and other crops. One of our favorite things to do was to stop and sample a stalk of wheat. We would remove the chaff and chew the wheat kernel, as if it were the best snack in the world. And what did it taste like? Bland, salt free flour of course, but oh what a treat. Ever do that?

Barley up close at dusk (my camera lens was dirty from the harvest dust)

Big teeth!

So imagine my excitement yesterday when my husband and I were invited to ride in a combine harvester on the Ensley farm. They were busy harvesting their barley crop. 

"Frank"

I have to admit I thought of Pixar's movie, Cars, when I saw the big teeth of the combines up close. Remember the scene where Mater and Lightening McQueen scare the 'grazing' tractors and they go belly up in the field? Then Mater warns Lightening to watch out for Frank? Ha! Combine harvesters are huge like that, and I mean HUGE.

Cathy, co-owner with Mike Ensley in front of Ensley Farms harvest truck, which follows behind the combine for grain dumps. The Ensleys currently grow wheat, barley and garbanzo beans.

Big tires! Vince climbing into Mike's combine.  Here they come! Dumping the barley

Mike at end of day. Time to shower!

Today farmers sit in air-conditioned and filtered cabs, although there is plenty of dust. Check out Mike's photo on the left! They have talk radios and music to pass the time and use cell phones for communication.
Imagine how it must have been before combines existed (or modern ones with enclosed cabs). I am told that farmers often suffered from emphysema from the heavy dust exposure.

                                       Combines were horse drawn in the "old days."

Jeremy (Mike's son) and my driver. This is a multi-generation farm.

View from inside the cab with Jeremy. It was surprisingly quiet inside. We could talk easily, but oh was it ever dusty!!

Combines get around 7 miles to the gallon, I am told. The farm uses around 100 gallons a day during harvest. That's me on the bottom step. Thanks for the ride, Jeremy!

Take a look at my shoes. I was told I would get dirty . . . and I thought I was being careful. My face was gritty with dust, too, as was my camera lens. But what a marvelous once-in-a-life time experience. Thank you Ensley Farms!! Sharon M. Himsl Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011.  Published with Evernight Teen:  ~~The Shells of Mersing

Weekly Recap: Back to Work

Recapping:
I have taken off the past few weeks, for vacation, family, illness, and just plain orneriness. Interpretation: I needed a break!! I have been resting when I feel like it, reading when the urge hits, and gardening when it isn't too darn hot (mostly too hot), but enough groveling. Back to work for me, and this week I have been working on the book again--four hours a day. Yay! Goal: finish Chapter 21 this week and 22-24 over the next three weeks. I'm in "got to get it done" mode. 

Bugged:
Why is it I can go to the hospital for an expensive test (e.g. an ultrasound) and never hear back officially from my doctor, confirming it is good or bad. Why do I have to bird dog my doctors? Everything is on computers these days, but if I have an illness or need a prescription, I am asked if I have had a certain medication before. Isn't it in your records? I ask. Well, yes, somewhere . . . Hmm . . . out of pocket I will likely pay $165 for this visit, I am thinking, and you can't tell me? I have started a home record-keeping method to monitor all this, but isn't that their job? Just my opinion of course.

Doubly bugged:
Schools in the U.S. are actually considering removing recess from elementary schools, to make room for more teaching! And those kids will be alert enough to learn more? I think not! When is the health and physical fitness of our children going to be important again? I played from morning to dusk, often outside, when I was a kid. I even climbed trees. Yes, dangerous, you might say, but what an experience I had. I climbed monkey bars too and was so strong I could arm wrestle boys in my teens. I lived on my bike during the summer, swam in the bay, and sat and rolled on the grass and sand where all those crawly things live. We have become too regimented and I feel sorry for our children today. Just my opinion of course.  

Impressed:
I am impressed this week with my city's law enforcement. Pullman, WA where I live has a population of only 31,000, but we have been plagued with suspected arson for several years. Most recently was the burning down of four apartment complexes being constructed. The university here has had a huge increase in students so housing has been in short supply. The estimated loss in its current state of construction was $13 million! Well . . . finally, someone has been arrested, and it is now a federal case, as the crimes committed have likely extended beyond our borders. The man heard voices that told him to 'do bad things' we are told. Scary. 


Inspired:
I have been reading Anne Morrow Lindbergh's North to the Orient (1935). It was her first venture into writing and written after the kidnapping and murder of her and Charles's son. I can only imagine how heart wrenching the aftermath of his death must have been. The only therapy that I can imagine working for me would have been to write my heart out, which is exactly what she has done in North to the Orient. It documents a trip that she and Charles took to China over the north pole, but there is so much more. I will do a review eventually. Here are some of Anne's inspiring words that speak to me as a writer:

"Yesterday's fairy tale is today's fact. The magician is only one step ahead of his audience. I must write down my story before it is too late."

Your thoughts?