Wild Berries Of Idaho (Part two)

In a continuation of an earlier article my mother has been kind enough to provide a part two.  I hope you enjoy.  My mother tapered off the full number of huckleberry recipes, but if you want them put a note in the bottom and I’ll get her in contact with you.  We have an abundance of huckleberry recipes because they were one of the berries we enjoyed the most in our youth.

Jon

 

Wild Gooseberry                                                                

(Ribes inerme, R. leucaderme, R. montigenum)

-Also known as Prickly Currant.

There are several species of wild gooseberries throughout the Rocky Mountains.  They are all very similar, with some berries having smooth skins, and others being covered with tiny hairs.  The 3-5 foot tall shrubs grow in moist areas in pine forests.  They prefer flood plains, stream banks, and cool ravines at elevations of 5,000-9,000 feet.  They are very hardy and do best in cold climates.  Frost never bothers the blossoms and the winter cold doesn’t harm the plants.

Wild Gooseberries bloom in May having white to pink colored trumpet-shaped flowers.  The small flowers each have five petals.  The cluster of leaves are arranged alternately on slender, reclining branches.  The leaves have 3-5 lobes and resemble rounded maple leaves.  The lobes are irregular and toothed.

The thin-skinned berries ripen in mid-July to mid-August, turning from green to reddish or deep purple in color.  The green berries have white lines running lengthwise, but as they ripen, the lines become less distinct.   The round fruits develop on short stems and average ⅜ of an inch in diameter.   Part of the dried blossom sits on top of the fruit and resembles a small tuft of hair.

Wild Gooseberries are great for pies, jams, jellies, and syrups.  The wild gooseberries aren’t as numerous on the bush as are the domestic berries.   Several tribes native to the Rocky Mountains used wild gooseberries as a food source, and also consumed the cooked berries to relieve fevers and chills.

Spiced Wild Gooseberry Jam

2 qts Wild Gooseberries

4 c brown sugar

1 c cider vinegar

3 sticks cinnamon

10 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

½ c water

Combine sugar, vinegar, spices tied in cheesecloth, and water.  Bring to a boil, and boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add Wild Gooseberries, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until syrup has thickened.  Remove spices.  Ladle into sterilized jars and seal.

Wild Gooseberry Fool

1 ½ pts Wild Gooseberries

1 ¼ c sugar

1 c water

1 ½ c heavy cream

Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil.  Add Wild Gooseberries and simmer  8-10 minutes.  Cool.  Purée in a food processor.  Whip cream until stiff.  Fold in Gooseberry purée.  Chill, then serve.

Wild Gooseberry Basting Sauce

1 onion, chopped

3 c chopped Wild Gooseberries

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp dry mustard

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sugar

½ c water

Cook onion and Wild Gooseberries in oil over med-low heat until onion is softened.  Stir in rest ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until very thick.  Use to baste chicken, ribs, or shrimp during last third of cooking time.

Wild Gooseberry Syrup

3 c finely chopped Wild Gooseberries

½ c water

2 ½ c sugar

1 c clover honey

2 Tbsp powdered pectin

Simmer Wild Gooseberries in water for 10 minutes.  Pour into jelly bag and squeeze out juice.  Stir the pectin into the sugar and set aside.  Place the juice in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Add the honey and sugar.  Cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour into sterilized jars or bottles and seal in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Wild Gooseberry Streusel

2 ½ pts Wild Gooseberries

juice of 2 limes

¾ c firmly packed brown sugar

½ c flour

⅓ c (3 Tbsp) butter

heavy cream for whipping

Stir lime juice into Wild Gooseberries and let stand 30 minutes.  Blend sugar and flour, then cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Place Wild Gooseberry mixture in a 6 cup baking dish and top with streusel mixture.  Bake at 400˚ for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with whipped cream.

Wild Gooseberry Ice Cream

1 qt Wild Gooseberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 qt heavy cream, scalded

1 ½ c sugar

1 c water

Combine sugar and water.  Add Wild Gooseberries and simmer, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes.  Cool.  Pour cream into ice cream freezer and follow manufacturer’s directions for freezing.  When cream is mushy, add Wild Gooseberry mixture and continue freezing until thoroughly frozen.

Wild Gooseberry Pie

4 c Wild Gooseberries

1 c sugar

¼ c cornstarch

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp heavy cream

dough for two-crust 9-inch pie

3 Tbsp butter

Line 9-inch pie pan with pie dough.  Stir together Wild Gooseberries, sugar, and cornstarch.  Place in pie pan.  Dot with butter.  Cover top with crust.  Crimp edges, vent for steam, and brush top of crust with beaten egg yolk.  Bake in preheated oven at 450˚ for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325˚ and bake another 35-45 minutes.

 

Huckleberry

(Vaccinium globlare, V. membranaceum)

-Also known as bilberry, blueberry, whortleberry, and deerberry.

The Huckleberries of the Rocky Mountains prefer growing on the steep slopes of forests and mountains at elevations of 3,500-7,000 feet.  They favor moist, deep, acid-rich soil and therefore grow near pine trees whose dropped needles provide acidity to the soil.  The plants are low-growing with an abundance of branches.  They grow 2-4 feet tall.  Huckleberry bushes have shallow roots and reproduce by rhizomes.  The leaves have small teeth along the margins, are oval to oblong in shape, and grow alternately along the branches.  Delicate white to pink urn-shaped blossoms appear in June, ripening to small bluish-purple berries during late July through early September.

Huckleberries grow singularly rather than in clusters, with sometimes no more than one or two berries per branch.  The berries average ¼ inch in diameter.  They are rich in sugar and contain large quantities of vitamin B.  Huckleberries also contain a pigment believed to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, and thus have been used for treating intestinal maladies caused by microorganisms.  During Spring, before flowers appear, Huckleberry leaves can be collected and dried for tea.  They can be mixed with mint or other dried herbs.  Huckleberry leaf tea has been widely used in Europe to lower or modify blood sugar levels.  Two cups of tea taken daily has been known to alleviate hyperglycemia.

The taste of Huckleberries is reminiscent of blueberries with a slight hint of an apple aftertaste.  Huckleberries need a good winter the year before to produce abundantly.  Once the first frost comes in September, the berries are too soft and mushy to pick.   A favorite patch may produce sweet berries one year and tart berries the next.  The flavor depends on the amount of water the bushes get from the winter snow pack or spring rain showers.

Huckleberries can be eaten raw, cooked into sauce, made in pies, added to muffins and pancakes, or preserved as jams, jellies, and syrups.  There are several methods of preserving Huckleberries including canning, freezing, and drying.

To can Huckleberries:  Fill clean, hot pint jars with berries that have been rinsed and sorted (cleaned of small stems and leaves.)  Shake the jars gently to settle fruit and produce a firmer pack.  Make a syrup by mixing 2 cups sugar and 4 cups water in a saucepan.  Heat over med-high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.  Pour over berries in jars filling almost to the rim.  Seal in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

To freeze Huckleberries:  Sort the berries (pick out any small stems or leaves.)  Spread the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Freeze berries solid before storing in a container in the freezer.  Huckleberries can hold their flavor up to 2 years frozen.  Use frozen berries in recipes as you would fresh, or thaw and eat on pancakes.

To dry Huckleberries:  Sort the berries (pick out any small stems or leaves.)  Spread the berries on cheesecloth that has been stretched over a wooden frame.  Dry in the sun for 4-5 days.  Store dried berries in a tightly covered container.

Huckleberry-Apple Crisp

2 c Huckleberries

2 c tart apples, peeled and sliced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 c all-purpose flour

½ c firmly packed brown sugar

¾ c sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 lg egg, slightly beaten

½ c (1 stick) butter, melted

Butter a 1 ½ quart baking dish.  Put in apples and Huckleberries.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Mix flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder.  Combine melted butter and egg.  Stir into flour mixture until crumbly.  Sprinkle over fruit.  Bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes.  Serve warm, possibly with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Huckleberry Cake

1 ½ c cake flour

½ c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ c + 2 Tbsp (6 Tbsp) milk

1 lg egg

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1 ½ c Huckleberries

1 tsp almond extract

Sift dry ingredients together.  Beat together milk, egg, melted butter, and extract.  Stir milk mixture into dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.  Stir in berries.  Pour into an 8×8 inch cake pan and bake in preheated oven at 375˚ for 50 minutes.  Cool before cutting.

Huckleberry Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust, unbaked

1 12-oz pkg cream cheese

2 lg eggs

1 c sugar, divided in half

1 tsp vanilla

2 c Huckleberries

1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch

¼ c lemon juice

Beat together cream cheese, eggs, ½ c sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.  Pour into crust and bake in preheated oven at 350˚ for 25 minutes or until set.  Cool.

For Huckleberry sauce:  Simmer berries with ½ c sugar and lemon juice in saucepan for 5 minutes.  Let cool.  Stir in the cornstarch, then bring to boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat when clear and thickened.  Let cool slightly.  Pour over cheesecake.

Huckleberry Buttermilk Pancakes

1 c all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 lg egg

1 ¼ c buttermilk

½ c Huckleberries

2 Tbsp melted butter

Sift dry ingredients together.  Beat together egg and buttermilk.  Blend with dry ingredients until smooth.  Stir in melted butter and Huckleberries.  Bake on hot, lightly oiled griddle.

Sour Cream Huckleberry Pancakes

1 c flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 lg egg

1 c milk

¼ c sour cream

½ c Huckleberries

2 Tbsp melted butter

Sift dry ingredients together.  Beat together egg, milk, and sour cream.  Blend milk mixture into dry ingredients until smooth.  Add melted butter, fold in Huckleberries.  Bake on hot griddle.

Huckleberry Jam

6 c Huckleberries

1 c water

6 c sugar

juice from 1 lemon

2 tsp lemon zest

1 pkg powdered pectin

Stir pectin into 1 c of the sugar, set aside.  In saucepan combine berries and water, bring to a boil.  Add the 5 c sugar and boil hard 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add juice, zest, and rest sugar with pectin, boil 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat and pour into hot, sterilized jars, adjust lids, and seal in boiling water bath 7 minutes.

Spiced Huckleberry-Peach Jam

4 c chopped peaches (about 4 lbs)

4 c Huckleberries

2 Tbsp lemon juice

½ c water

5 ½ c sugar

½ tsp salt

1 stick cinnamon

½ tsp whole cloves

¼ tsp whole allspice

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Dip the peaches in the boiling water long enough that the skin will rub off.  Put into cold water and rub the skin off the peaches.  Cut into small pieces.  Sort the Huckleberries (remove any small stems or leaves.)

Put fruit into a kettle, add lemon juice and water.  Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add sugar and salt, stir well.  Add spices tied in cheesecloth.  Boil rapidly, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat, take out spices.  Fill and seal clean pint jars.  Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Huckleberry Raspberry Jam

4 c Huckleberries

4 c red raspberries

7 c sugar

½ bottle liquid fruit pectin

Crush fruit slightly, add a bit of water to make the full 8 cups.  Add sugar, mix well.  Heat to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in pectin.  Seal in hot, sterilized jars.

Huckleberry Jelly

3 qts Huckleberries

1 lg orange

sugar

Cut orange slices into pieces.  Combine with Huckleberries in a pot.  Heat slowly until fruit is completely mushed out.  Strain juice from pulp with a jelly bag or by hanging in a clean pillowcase over a bowl.  Measure out the juice and an equal amount of sugar.  Bring juice to a boil, pour sugar in all at once.  Boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal with paraffin.

Huckleberry Chocolates

2 ½ c sugar

¾ c water

¼ tsp cream of tartar

¼ c Huckleberry jam

dipping chocolate

candy molds

Combine sugar and water.  Bring to boiling over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.  Add cream of tartar.  Cover pan and steam for 3 minutes.  Remove lid.  Cook mixture to soft ball stage (238˚) without stirring.  Pour onto cooled surface.  Blend mixture with spatula until smooth.  Cover and let stand ½ hour.  Cut into pieces with knife and place pieces in bowl.  Cover with damp cloth and allow to stand 2-3 days.  With a spatula, work the jam into the fondant.

Test dipping chocolate to assure it is compatible with molds and removes easily.  Heat chocolate until just melted.  Coat molds with solid layer of chocolate.  Chill until hard.  Fill each mold with fondant, then cover with final layer of chocolate sealing edges carefully.  Chill until hard.  Remove chocolates from mold.

Huckleberry Syrup with Fruit

4 c Huckleberries

1 c water

4 c sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a saucepan with water.  Bring to a boil, simmer over medium heat 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until syrup has thickened slightly.  Pour into bottles and cork, or seal in canning jars.

Huckleberry Waffles

1 ½ c cake flour

¼ c oat bran

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

3 lg eggs, separated

¼ c (½ stick) butter, melted

1 ½ c milk

1 ½ c Huckleberries

Sift together flour, bran, baking powder, and sugar.  Beat egg yolks, then add to butter.  Stir into dry ingredients until just moistened.  Beat egg whites stiff.  Fold into batter along with Huckleberries.  Bake on preheated waffle iron.

Sour Cream Huckleberry Muffins

1 ½ c flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 ½ c Huckleberries

1 lg egg, slightly beaten

2 Tbsp butter, melted

¾ c sour cream

Stir together dry ingredients.  Mix together egg, butter, and sour cream.  Blend into dry ingredients just until moistened.  Fold in Huckleberries.  Spoon into greased muffin tins, bake in preheated oven at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes.

Huckleberry Bran Muffins

¼ c vegetable shortening

¼ c firmly packed brown sugar

⅔ c milk

1 lg egg

¼ c maple syrup

1 c flour

1 c bran

1 Tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

⅔ c Huckleberries

Beat together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add milk, egg, and syrup.  Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.  Add Huckleberries.  Grease muffin cups and fill ⅔ full.  Bake 15 minutes at 400˚ or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Huckleberry Whole Wheat Muffins

1 lg egg

¾ c milk

½ c vegetable oil

1 c whole wheat flour

1 c white flour

⅓ c sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 c Huckleberries

Heat oven to 400˚.  Grease muffin tins or line with papers.  Beat egg, stir in milk and oil.  Stir in dry ingredients until moistened – batter will be lumpy.  Fold in berries.  Fill muffin cups ¾ full.  Bake 20 minutes.

Huckleberry Nut Bread

2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

dash salt

1 ½ c Huckleberries

½ c chopped walnuts

½ c maple syrup

2 lg eggs, beaten

¾ c butter, melted

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.  In separate bowl beat together syrup, eggs, and butter.  Fold in berries and nuts.  Mix with dry ingredients.  Grease 2 loaf pans.  Spoon Huckleberry mixture into pans.  Bake at 325˚ for 60-70 minutes.  Cool.

Huckleberry Pie

pastry for 2 9-inch crusts

4 c Huckleberries

1 ¼ c sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp butter

Mix together Huckleberries, sugar, and flour.  Line pie plate with half of dough.  Fill with berry mixture and dot with butter.  Top with rest dough.  Bake at 450˚ for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350˚ and bake 40-50 minutes longer.  Cool and serve.

Huckleberry Cream Pie

¾ c sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

½ tsp salt

⅔ c water

3 c Huckleberries

2 Tbsp butter

1 c heavy cream

graham cracker crust

Combine in a saucepan sugar, cornstarch, salt, water and berries.  Bring to a boil and cook until thick and clear.  Add butter, cool mixture.  Beat the cream until stiff.  (Powdered sugar and vanilla can be added to sweeten the whipped cream.)  Fold the berry mixture into half the whipped cream.   Place in pie shell.  Top with rest cream.  Chill until firm.

Huckleberry Pudding with Lemon Sauce

2 c flour

1 ½ c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp lemon zest

¾ c (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened

2 lg eggs

¾ c milk

2 ½ c Huckleberries

Mix together first 6 ingredients.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Add milk and eggs, mix thoroughly.  Pour into greased and floured 9-inch square pan, top with Huckleberries.  Bake in preheated oven at 350˚ for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Serve warm with lemon sauce.

Lemon Sauce:

½ c sugar

1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch

1 ¼ c cold water

1 egg yolk

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp butter

Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.  Stir in cold water and mix well.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, and cook until clear and thick.  Blend together egg yolk and lemon juice, stir into sauce.  Add lemon zest and butter.

Mountain Ash Berry

(Sorbus aucuparia, S. sitchensis, S. decora, S. scopulina)

-Also known as American Mountain Ash, European Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, and Rowan berries.

       The Mountain Ash tree grows up to 30 feet tall.  The compound leaves grow alternately on the branches.  They are up to 10 inches long and have 7-17 sawtoothed leaflets extending directly from the stalks.  The leaves burst forth in the springtime from reddish-purple, bristly, short buds.  The bark can be smooth or scaly, but is always thin and grey.

The Mountain Ash trees grow in cool, moist habitats, borders of swamps, rocky hillsides, in openings or in woods, upland roadsides, or under semi-open stands of birches, fir, and spruce.  They prefer full sun.  The American Mountain Ash has red stems near the end of branches, and reddish fruit.  The European Mountain Ash has yellowish stems, and orange fruit.

Flat clusters of tiny white flowers appear from May until August, depending on the elevation and latitude.  The flowers develop into reddish-orange clusters of berries.  These mature toward the end of September and can be gathered during autumn and winter.  If they are picked after the first frost or snowfall, the berries will not be quite so bitter.

Despite their bitter flavor, they are used to make tea.  Indians ate the berries fresh or dried.  They also ground dried berries into meal and flour.  They are used in jams, jellies, and marmalades.  Mountain Ash berries have a lot of natural pectin.  They are also used to make conserves, vinegar, and sweetly bitter wines.  They are cooked with meat, and eaten raw after frost or a freeze.  The jelly goes well with sharp cheese.  In Finland, the bitter juice is chilled and consumed to replenish the body after an evening in the sauna.

Mountain Ash Berry Juice

2 lbs ripe fruit

2 c water

Clean fruit of stems, rinse, and place in a saucepan with the water.  Simmer for 15 minutes, mashing fruit, until it softens.  Suspend the pulp over a bowl, in a clean pillow case, to drip off.  In a saucepan, bring the juice to a boil, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat, bottle, and seal.  When drinking the juice, add water and sugar to taste, chill.  (Mountain Ash juice is very bitter and is an acquired taste.  It is, however, a great thirst quencher.)

Mountain Ash Plum Jelly

8 c Mountain Ash berries, cleaned of stems

6 c plums, cut into smaller chunks

2 Tbsp mulling spices (in a mesh spice bag)

1 cinnamon stick

sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

Put the berries, plums, and spices in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the spices.  Continue cooking another 5 or 10 minutes until the fruit is falling apart.  Mash it up a little to loosen the pulp.

Pour the fruit mass into a clean pillowcase and suspend it over a large bowl.  Let it drain a couple of hours.

Pour the juice into a pot.  For each cup of juice, add ¾ cup sugar.  Add the salt.  Bring to a boil.  Boil, stirring frequently, and skimming off the foam now and then.  Cook until the temperature reaches 230˚.   Or when a little bit of the hot liquid, put on a spoon and into the freezer for a minute, comes out jelly-like.

Pour the hot liquid into clean jars and seal.

Mountain Ash Jelly

2 lbs ripe fruit

2 c water

1 c sugar per cup of juice

Clean fruit of stems, rinse, and place in a saucepan with the water.  Simmer for 15 minutes, mashing fruit, until it softens.  Strain through a jelly bag. or suspend over a bowl, in a clean pillow case, to drip off.  Measure juice and add appropriate amount of sugar.  In a saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, bottle, and seal.

Mountain Ash Jam

2 lbs ripe fruit

1 c sugar per cup of juice

Wash fruit and remove stems and blossom ends.  Place in a saucepan and mash the fruit.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour pulp through a food mill to remove seeds and skins.  Place pulp in a saucepan and add sugar.  Mix well, bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Pout into hot sterile jars and seal.

Mountain Ash Marmalade

3 lbs ripe fruit

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 lg orange

6 c sugar

Wash fruit well and remove stems and blossom ends.  Chop into small pieces and place in a saucepan with lemon juice and diced orange segments.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add sugar.  Mix thoroughly and return to heat, boiling for 2 minutes while stirring constantly.  Pour into hot sterile jars and seal.