Red Huckleberry

Yesterday afternoon Henry and I set off into the woods looking for huckleberries.  We'd seen some days ago on our usual trail along Thornton Creek, which runs past our apartments, but when we got back to the spot they were gone.   Either people, or birds, or hopefully not a bear had gotten to them.  The only rule of huckleberries is get them while you can.

So we started to tramp around, hunting.  Henry sang us his good luck song.  "Da da da da daaaaa...."  We moved slowly and looked carefully, naming the trees we went past as a way of making sure we were taking it all in.  "Big leaf maple, Douglas fir..."  Then a pit bull came crashing through the bushes, stopped ten feet in front of us and started barking at us.  I had Henry in the carrier, and my brain wanted to turn and get the hell out of there, but I knew that would just make him chase us.  The dog had his head down and his shoulders were twitching as he edged closer, still barking.  I yelled out "Is someone missing a dog?" and wondered how I was going to fight this thing.  Pocket knife or just kick him in the face?  Then I heard a guy.  The owner came running up with another pit bull, also not on a leash, and a big white dog, not on a leash, and a little rat-dog, on a leash.  "Sorry," he said, as all four of his dogs were barking at us now, "they're not used to  seeing a baby in a carrier."  Wow, interesting fact, dickhead.  Sorry to bring my baby out in public where he might disrupt the fragile sensibilities of your unhinged killing-machine.  Too bad there's no possible way to restrain your aggressive dog, other than a leash or course, which you clearly don't have access to, other than just the one.  I was seething.  As they went passed us he sheepishly asked, "are you having a nice walk?"  I said something nasty to him.  

After that I was a little wound up.  Henry didn't seem to be bothered, but I was walking too fast and not paying enough attention.  We startled a rat and he ran into a thicket.  The only berries we saw were devil's club, poisonous.  Then, after about a half and hour, when I was calmed down but ready to head home in defeat, I looked up and realized we were standing under a ten-foot tall huckleberry bush.  Or was it a tree?  I didn't realize they could be that tall.  We plucked every little red berry we could get our hands on, which apparently isn't the fastest way to harvest them.  You're supposed to rake or shake the branches and just let the berries fall off.  We know for next time.  Then we went home and ate them, another successful outing in the bag. 

Red Huckleberry

Vaccinium parvifolium

Family ericaceae (heath)

Red huckleberry grows along the West coast from Southeast Alaska down to San Diego, in acidic soils or from the stumps of dead trees.  Indians cultivated huckleberry patches and ate the berries both fresh and dried.  They also used the berries (which resemble salmon eggs) as fishing lures, and made medicinal tea from the leaves to treat diarrhea and allergic reactions.    

Red huckleberry also resembles red elderberry, which is poisonous.  The major differences in appearance are that elderberries occur in big clusters, while huckleberries occur individually, and elderberries have big, opposite leaves, while huckleberries have small, alternate leaves.

Red elderberry: 

POISON POISON POISON POISON


--Tim 8/12/11