'Tis the Season for...Huckleberries!

The end of July and early August is when we go huckleberry picking. This lovely season only lasts a few weeks during the climax of summer so you have to take advantage when it rolls around! Apparently, huckleberries can only be found in the mountain regions of Montana and Idaho. The plants cannot be domesticated so you have to go on an adventurous excursion each time you want to pick huckleberries. It is an activity for the determined individual and we like to make it a bit of a treasure hunt. The berries are tiny and they do not grow in clumps so it take a LONG time to accumulate any decent amount of fruit. For us, it is all in the experience!

There are a few things you can do with huckleberries. You can freeze them, eat them fresh on sandwiches or pancakes, make jams and ice cream, but our favorite is the syrup.

It's a super simple and healthy recipe:

2 cups huckleberries

1/3 c. honey

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp. water

1 drop lemon oil

Wash your berries and place them in small pot

Add honey to pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the water and cornstarch together in small bowl.

Remove pot from heat and gradually stir in the cornstarch mix. At this point, I like to mash the berries a little. You could possibly strain the syrup before thickening it if you aren't a fan of the chunks. I like the texture of the berries, so I leave them in.

You can add one drop of lemon oil that gives the syrup a small tang to it or you can opt to leave it out..

Now enjoy it on your favorite pancakes! Yum!