Oregon Hikers

Webfoot wrote: ↑

July 16th, 2018, 4:55 pm

I am embarrassed to admit that I've never gathered huckleberries before. What do I need to know to get started? Are there any look-alikes that are dangerous? How long do they keep once picked, i.e. do I need a cooler to get them home?

I lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Once froze I store them in a freezer bag and eat on them for months.

I ran into quite a quantity of berries that were not huckleberries yesterday on the trail to Big Huckleberry Mountain from the Grassy Knoll trailhead. They were I tried one from the photo but it was not particularly to my taste. The inside of the berry was white. I'm guessing the ones in this photo were service berries?

The second berry I was not sure of the name was a red berry. Having run into a few actual red huckleberries near the beginning of the trail, I was primed to see more but this red berry was not the same plant. I'm not sure it is edible. And there were a few Vacciniums along the trail but nothing like the service berries or the Sawtooth Berry fields.

erik
(enjoying a vacation day)

Berries have been out for weeks. I saw a bunch on Quartz Ck in early July and a few at Soda Peaks Lake last week. Pickers were out yesterday off the road just above Forlorn Lakes. As always, very location dependent. But with the heat we've had this summer, I think they are early in many places.

The red berries appear to be red huckleberries, usually found at lower elevations. Blue huckleberries grow at higher elevations. Near Timothy, they are at peak. You can pick what you want but cannot take out of the forest, without a permit. Free harvest permit limits you to three gallons.