Huckleberries Delivery or Pickup

While similar looking to blueberries, huckleberries are a different fruit. They have a sweet flavor similar to what a blueberry tastes like, with a bit of blackberry and cassis thrown in. Huckleberries grow on shrubs that reach about three feet tall, flower in the spring, and fruit in the summer. The berries are quite small and turn a dark purple color when ripe.

Huckleberries are quite delicate and have a very short shelf life, so you'll often find them in the frozen food section of the market. During high season, in the summer, you can find them at roadside stands, at farmers' markets, or in specialty food stores.

Huckleberries are native to North America and grow wild across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, as well as in Canada and Alaska. Huckleberries are in the Ericaceae family. Depending on the species, huckleberries fall into either the genus Gaylussacia or the genus Vaccinium. Huckleberries grow in the underbrush of coniferous forests and are loosely related to blueberries and cranberries. The huckleberry flavor profile is sweeter than a cranberry yet more tart than a fully ripe blueberry.

Huckleberries make delicious jams, jellies, syrups, and are ideal for making baked pastries and pie with. Huckleberries are the state fruit of Idaho, and throughout western Idaho and Montana, you can stop at little coffee shops to find freshly baked huckleberry scones, danish, and slices of pie made from this tasty fruit.

When you want fresh huckleberries to make a dessert with or to add to yogurt or cereal, enjoy the convenience of ordering the berries through Instacart. You can order huckleberries from the Instacart website or through the app on your smartphone. Once you've placed your order, an Instacart shopper will deliver the huckleberries to you within the same day!

Huckleberries only grow in the wild or on small farms. Cultivators have resisted growing them commercially due to their short shelf life and delicate nature. The Indigenous people who lived in the Northwest relied on huckleberries as a valuable source of food. The people would harvest the ripe berries in the late summer and then either dry them in the sun or smoke them to preserve them.

After the huckleberries dried, the people would mash them into cakes and wrap them in leaves to store throughout the winter months. Today, locals and visitors in Montana can enjoy huckleberry festivals in the summer and sample fresh-baked goods as well as jams, jellies, and syrup.

When choosing fresh huckleberries, look for berries that are dark purple with a sheen to their skin. Avoid huckleberries that are bruised or moldy. Freezing huckleberries is a great way to preserve them, and you'll often find bags of huckleberries in the freezer section of the store. When choosing frozen huckleberries, check the expiration date, and if the bag has excess ice in it, avoid purchasing that bag.

Huckleberries need careful handling as they bruise very easily. When you get fresh berries, place them in the refrigerator, where they'll keep for about three days. To freeze the berries, place whole berries in a plastic storage container where they can keep in the freezer for about six months.