Red huckleberry

What it is

Each round berry is just 0.6–1 cm (¼–⅜ in) across, with a bright red, translucent appearance and a tart bite. The plant is Vaccinium parvifolium. Its thin little leaves sit along green stems with sharp angles, and its small greenish-white to pink flowers hang like bells.

Where it comes from

Red huckleberry belongs to the Pacific coast of North America, from Southeast Alaska through Washington and Oregon to central California. It also grows on the western slopes of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada. Moist conifer woods are its home; dry woods have few or none. It often roots in decaying logs and stumps.

How it's eaten where it grows

The Lower Chinook and Lummi preferred red huckleberries fresh. Other peoples dried them in cakes for winter, and the berries were often eaten with fish or animal fat, or mixed with salal berries. In Alaska today, red huckleberries go into pies, muffins, puddings and preserves.

A Pacific Northwest sauce gives their tartness a savoury role: berries simmer with red wine, sugar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of cinnamon until slightly thickened. It accompanies salmon, halibut or pork.

How it's grown

The shrub reaches about 1–4 m (3–13 ft) and loses its leaves in winter. It likes acid soil with good drainage, in full or partial shade. It can be grown from seed or by layering, where a stem forms roots while still attached to the parent plant. Seedlings grow slowly.

When and where you'll find it

In Southeast Alaska, red huckleberries are usually a fall fruit on brushy, rocky hillsides. Along the Pacific Northwest coast, picking them has been a summer pastime for generations.

Northwest Wild Foods freezes its red huckleberries on the day they are picked. At home, dry fresh berries freeze separately on a tray before going into bags or containers.