 Yes,
I know it sounds like a contradiction in terms. Granted, black pearls
are one of the world's most exotic and rare forms of precious jewelry.
Yet, it does seem odd to call something both black and gold in one
breath.
However, when it comes
to describing wild huckleberries, the title seems to me to be not
only appropriate, but fitting recognition for an elusive berry that
is found only in insolated pockets high in the mountain ranges of
the Northwest.
Huckleberries are not
harvested. They are picked only by hand. Thus, their price, like
wild pearls, is exorbitant. If you come upon some huckleberries,
you will pay nearly $30.00 for a one-gallon bag.
Huckleberries are a
member of a family of flowering shrubs that bear fruit, and are
a cousin of the blueberry. But that is where the family ties end.
It is a disgrace to a huckleberry connoisseur to insinuate that
a huckleberry is a variation of the blueberry. It is not.
While blueberries are
certainly a worthy berry for the jam jar, the berries are larger
and sweeter. Blueberries grow both wild and are cultivated commercially.
The wild blueberries of Maine are the closest one might find to
a huckleberry, yet still not the same fruit.
The huckleberry has
never adapted well to the climate of farm life in the lowlands.
As such, they will probably never be raised commercially. Secondly,
huckleberries do not withstand the mechanical methods of machine
harvesting that are applied to blueberries.
Huckleberries grow
only on the high altitude slopes of the mountain ranges of the Pacific
Northwest-the Cascades in Oregon and Bitterroot range of Montana
to name a few. The plants favor cool mountain air and direct sunlight.
The huckleberry is a hearty plant, flourishing in places where winter
begins as early as the first snows of late September and endures
until the last measure of snow melts in late June.
By July, the Huckleberry
comes out of hibernation, yawns, stretches and drinks up the sweet
water of the melted snow. By early August, the berries are ripe--tender
little nuggets bursting with the sweet perfume of mountain wildflowers
and a tart flavor that is unmistakable.
For the next six weeks
or so, man is competing against beast for the prized huckleberry.
 Grizzly
bears and black bears can't get enough huckleberries. Bears literally
gorge themselves on as many berries as they can find as they store
away fat reserves for a long winter sleep. In fact, seasoned huckleberry
pickers will tell you that one of the most important pieces of gear
they carry are a large stick for beating the brush, a whistle and
a can of "pepper" spray--all needed as a defensive move should one
encounter a hungry bear.
The huckleberry is
terribly hard to pick. The little berries are hidden within the
confines of the shrub, and the prickly branches don't make things
easy. In addition to having a keen eye to even spot a huckleberry
bush, one must certainly wear long sleeves when picking.
Native Americans have
prized the huckleberry for generations. Tribes like the Umatilla,
Kalispell, Colville and Nez Pierce gathered huckleberries. They
ate the berries fresh, but preferred drying huckleberries and adding
them to "pemmican." Pemmican recipes vary by tribe and the bounty
of the land, but generally consist of a mixture of dried berries
and dried meats. Think of pemmican in terms of what we know as beef
jerky. Buffalo was the primary ingredient of pemmican from tribes
of the Great Plains, salmon being the main element of pemmican made
by Northwest coastal tribes.
Our family had ties
with both huckleberries and Native Americans. Every August, my Grandma
was visited by an Indian woman who sold huckleberries out of a hand-woven
basket. She was a member of the Warm Springs tribe of Central Oregon.
The land of the Warm Springs tribe encompasses the eastern slopes
of Mt. Hood, one of the prime native homes of the huckleberry. She
would gather the berries and set off for the valleys that lay beneath
the slopes of Mt. Hood, selling huckleberries door-to-door to farm
families.
I buy my huckleberries
from a Vietnamese family. In addition to huckleberries, the family
also ventures into the forest to forage for wild chanterelle and
morel mushrooms. I'm lucky; I live near the source of huckleberries.
With something so precious
one must not interfere with the flavor Mother Nature created. Just
a little help is all that is needed. Huckleberries do not have a
lot of natural sugar and as such, they are best used in recipes
with added sugar rather than eaten raw. This helps to draw out the
fragrance and flavor of the berries.
Quail, wild rice and
huckleberries are ingredients of the land that complement one another--game,
natural grains and mountain berries. The rich, gamey flavor of quail
is contrasted with the sweet yet tart flavor of huckleberry compote
and the soft, yet crunchy texture of wild rice.
Although fresh huckleberries
are out of the reach of all but a few, frozen berries are readily
available via the internet--a modern tool that enables one to have
even the most rare and expensive products delivered quickly to one's
home.
Every year when I pull
my huckleberry pie out of the oven, it releases the memory of Sunday
suppers spent on my grandmother's porch, enjoying a slice of huckleberry
pie, those little black pearls of gold.
Grilled
Quail with Wild Rice and Huckleberry Compote
Toasted
Hazelnut Ice Cream with Huckleberry Compote
Huckleberry
Pie
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