Huckleberries are small round berries, with a similar appearance to blueberries, though their color may range instead from deep crimson to eggplant purple. They do have a taste similar to blueberries, but many say when they are fully ripe, it’s much like eating the most flavorful blueberry in the world. You’ll find huckleberries growing wild through the US Northwest, and find very few in grocery stores. They are not cultivated as are their blueberry cousins and the best place to look for them is either in the wild or at local farmer’s markets. Since they are rare and not grown commercially, expect to pay a hefty price.

You can look for huckleberries in the wild in August, where you’ll find them growing, grouped together on tall thorny plants. The berries themselves are usually hidden behind leaves and the thorns can be forbidding. If you plan to harvest some, you might want to wear protective gloves to avoid cuts and scratches.

You’ll want to avoid picking the berries in early evening or early morning hours, especially if you are in relatively remote areas. They are a favorite food of bears, enjoyed by brown and black bears, and grizzlies. In fact bears are famous for quickly eating these berries, since the high sugar helps them store fat for long and lean winters. Since you meeting wild bears is not wise, be sure to stay away from the plants when the berries are ripe, at times when you’d most likely encounter bears, like the early morning or late evening. Remember that despite the great taste of these berries, they’re not worth chance encounters with bears.

Huckleberries can be used much like blueberries. They make superlative jams, pies, cobblers or preserves. You can also buy jam or syrup and occasionally fresh huckleberries from a variety of Internet sites.

There are a few reasons why this species of berry has not adapted well to commercial farming. First, they tend to grow in higher elevation regions, preferring to bear fruit on the slopes of mountains. They don’t grow with any great success in lower elevations, so it’s hard to sustain these plants in flatland farming areas. Another reason farmers tend not to bother with huckleberries is because they have to be handpicked. Blueberries can be machine picked, making harvests far easier and less expensive. Machines that pick blueberries don’t work well with huckleberries, so harvesting is far too labor intensive.

The relative rarity and difficulty in obtaining huckleberries translates to significant cost. You can spend at least $10 US dollars (USD) for a pound (453.6 g). The berries are usually sold in frozen packages. It’s much harder to find fresh ones, and their availability is often limited to areas in which they flourish in the wild.