In Search of the Elusive Huckleberry

After living in the area four years Sandra and I have been deemed worthy of taking huckleberry picking. I understand that it may be another ten years before the secrets of mushroom harvesting are revealed. Our friends are taking us into Tillamook State Forest in their four-wheel drive off-road Jeeps. They travel in pairs so that in case of an emergency one could haul/pull/tow the other out. Exciting isn't it!

I rode in the lead Jeep. The driver is a member of the local Certified Emergency Response Team. The Jeep is equipped with roof-top light bars, CB and SW radios, walki talkies, GPS, emergency scanner, a siren, and a weather station. There was other "stuff" that I couldn't identify.We also took along the "Bear Necessities" - Bear Mace and an air horn. The bears like huckleberries too. It wouldn't do to surprise a bear OR to be surprised by a bear. So, we were advised to make a lot of noise to let them know we were around.We left the main road and entered the forest at Brown's Camp. The area is well marked with trails for walking, biking, cycling, ATVs, and off-road vehicles. Not the kind of roads you would want to take your drive-to-work car on. The trails are graded from "one diamond" to three diamonds". We stayed on the "one diamond" trails today but saw some others along the way. I'll cover the off-road adventure in another post.We soon came upon a beaver dam, one of many along the river.
The noise of our cars must have scared him away. He was actively "harvesting" material to build onto his already large dam.

The road was not too bad and the scenery breathtaking. It was about 53 degrees with a light breeze, perfect weather for our trip.

The forest has been logged for a long time and we saw the remains of huge trees along the way.

Someone shouted "Stop, there they are!" So we stopped and sure enough found bushes with red berries on them growing on the decaying stumps.

Out came the containers and the work began.

We found a few more bushes growing nearby, also with red berries.

Berries were few and far between. It became obvious that our containers were much too large for the harvest .

The berries were sour and without a distinctive taste. I was wondering what the fascination about huckleberry picking was all about.

But, we picked the bushes in the area and didn't see or hear any bears the whole time. Saw a lot of signs that deer were in the area: hoof prints were plentiful and most of the tender grass and plant parts had been grazed upon.

Oh, did I mention we were travelling logging roads? And that there is active logging in the area? Signs posted along the road advised tuning to CB channel 13 which we did. Soon we heard "coming in empty at mile marker 6.5". We looked and we were inbound at mile marker 7.5 so we quickly broadcast that information. Not long afterward we heard and saw a logging truck coming up behind us. We found a place to pull over to allow him to pass. But, this meant that there would be loaded logging trucks coming out on this road. So we continued broadcasting our position and looking for any sign of trucks coming. We soon came upon the staging area where the trucks were being loaded. Companies contract for logging certain areas of the forest.

They cut the trees and place them along the roadside to make it easier to load the trucks.

We continued along our way and soon came upon one of the "three-diamond" trails. We decided not to take it but continue on up the mountain.

Along the way we stopped for lunch and came upon some black raspberries. The taste was different from any of the berries we had picked at farms around the area.

We were now off the logging road and getting close to "the area" where we should find more huckleberries bushes.

And find them we did, this time the blue black variety resembling a wild blueberry.

It had sprinkled a few minutes and there was a light fog. The result was a picture to behold.

It would have looked better if there were more huckleberries on the branches but the bears and deer had gotten there first.

One of the trails we decided not to take on the way down.

Near the top you can look down into the valley and see old logging areas that have not yet recovered. The logging companies replant the areas; we saw seedlings from a foot high on up.

There was a mist settling in on the way out after spending about five hours enjoying this "rain forest" in the Pacific Northwest.

The lead driver got bored driving the smooth gravel roads so he decided to take the ones he thought more interesting.

The other driver couldn't resist the chance to splash mud/water every time they came upon any.

We came home with about a coffee cup full of each type of berry.

Sandra made jam the next day and it has a very distinctive taste - probably from the effort required to gather the berries.

Huckleberries have been used for many years as a delicious fruit. However, it began to be noticed for medicinal properties as well. In World War II, pilots who ate jam made from huckleberries reported having better night vision. Huckleberry is more well-known for its effect on the digestive system.

When ripe berries are eaten, they can work as a laxative. However, when dried berries are eaten, they can help to counteract diarrhea. It also has uses for problems with the circulatory system such as hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and weak capillaries. It can be used as a mouthwash and can help to prevent the onset of diabetes.

I can attest to the laxative claim!

Oh, did I mention that I copied down the GPS coordinates of the berry patches?

Pears - Now and Later

Some of our friends live in an apartment in Forest Grove, OR - about 20 minutes away by car. There is an old pear tree on the property that no one has tended for many years. We went three years ago and picked enough pears to eat for several weeks and also make 85 pints of pear salsa. Last year in addition to what we ate fresh we dried a lot for later use in pies and cakes as well as just snacking on. A few weeks ago we learned that the property is being developed and the pear tree will fall to the axe shortly, in fact the survey lines are already marked. So we paid one last visit to the old tree.

I'm too old (and smart) to climb trees anymore. Sandra, our daughter Stephanie, and our friends and I took turns spotting pears and picking. [a lot of time was spend dodging falling pears - they are HARD]

Our fruit picker is indispensable; pears, apples, plums - all are now in reach.

Of course, the largest and prettiest fruit is always at the top of the tree.

Then is when its handy to have a friend who is not afraid of heights. While we were picking, a neighbor walked by and said he had a couple of pear trees just behind our friend's apartment we could pick if we wanted. We picked those and hopefully they will be a source of pears next year.
The fruits of our labor. One of three boxes picked today.

We wrapped most of the pears in paper and will store them in a cool place, taking them out when we want them to ripen. Pears are one of the few fruits that can be picked when mature but not ripe. They will ripen to full flavor later. This box will last several months. Some were ripe enough to use now.

As I sit here I can smell the pear coffee cake Sandra has baked to share with those who helped with the picking. Of course there's one for us!