Huckleberry pie is one of the highlights of visiting Montana in the summer and autumn. Bill and Muriel went out before we arrived and bought us one, but it apparently called to them a bit too seductively from the refrigerator. They ate the whole thing before we arrived.
We stopped at a roadside huckleberry stand to buy another one.
You might remember cartoon character Huckleberry Hound. Or Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. Or if you grew up in Southern California when I did, a great disc jockey named Huckleberry Chuck Clemans.
But what the hell is a huckleberry? I thought they were fictional until I had my first piece of huckleberry pie.
They look a lot like blueberries but can range from bright red to dark purple to blue. Red huckleberries are a bit tart, but the purple and blue ones are sweeter.
I’ve always wondered about the origin of the phrase “I’m your huckleberry.” If you say “I’m your huckleberry,” you’re saying you’re the right person for some task. Wonder where that meaning came from.
We loaded up on a selection of huckleberry jams and jellies to take back to Texas.
DG says
Mouthwatering commentary. Got to run out to Polly’s pies.
Wendy says
What are you guys on a road trip. In Scandinavia we came across lingonberries.