Picking Wild Red Huckleberries has been a summer joy for generations of people in the coastal wildlands of the Pacific Northwest. These brilliant reddish orange berries are often found growing out of cedar stumps. They love shaded areas in the lowlands, especially second growth and logged off lands. The botanical name for wild red huckleberries is Vaccinium parvifolium.
Wild red huckleberries are found in coastal mountains and foothills ranging from northern California through Alaska. However, they are seldom found east of the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. The Hoh River is one of our favorite locations for these berries.
Wild Blue Huckleberry
Wild Mt. Rainer Blueberries
Wild Mountain Blackberry
Wild Red Huckleberry
The delicate pink bell shaped flower of the red huckleberry is one of the first wild flowering plants to appear in the spring. A delicate shrub with light green foliage and tiny leaves, huckleberry bushes can grow to over 10 feet high. Fruit ripens beginning in late July through August and into September. By early October, wild birds and animals have eaten most of the remaining berries.
Tell a huckleberry picker from Idaho, Montana or Washington's Inland Empire you've been picking Wild Red Huckleberries, and they will probably believe you to be color blind. That's because the only wild huckleberries they know of are wild blue huckleberries. But here in the Pacific Northwest, we know for certain that these juicy wild red huckleberries exist and are a rare, juicy, wonderful treat. We get many of our wild red huckleberries from the Hoh River area of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. It is there that the berries grow beautifully in natures backdoor.
Their wonderful tart flavor makes them delicious fresh from the vine, or turned into pies or preserves. Native Americans and early pioneers used to gather red huckleberries by shaking the berry laden branches over a mat or blanket. Some Indian tribes mashed and dried them into cakes. Pioneer women used them for sauces and glazes for wild salmon and game.
An All American favorite is a stack of red huckleberry pancakes topped with butter and real maple syrup. Modern cooks love to match the refreshing tart flavor of wild red huckleberry sauce with lamb or pork. Of course, wild red huckleberries are still favored for desserts, including pies, cobblers and fresh berry tarts. Also, try our Wild Harvest Wild Red Huckleberry jam or Syrup as a topping for cheesecake or Pancakes. It's also delicious spread on bagels with cream cheese.
The joy of these tiny red berries is that they can be found almost anywhere in the wildlands of the Cascade and Olympic coastal ranges of the Pacific Northwest-so nearly everyone can enjoy the pleasure of picking them.
Hardly anything in nature delights young pickers more than the joy of picking and eating their own handful of wild red huckleberries. They are truly one of nature's most enjoyable offerings.
Wild Red Huckleberries
