Huckleberry King
In this file photo a girl feasts on huckleberries during the Schweitzer Huckleberry Festival.
In the latest edition of Sandpoint Magazine and on her blog Slight Detour, Marianne Love writes of Joe Nieman, the Huckleberry King.
"This Porthill native and Co-Op front-counter clerk owns a T-shirt with “Smokin’ Joe Nieman, World’s Fastest Huckleberry Picker” to prove it. His shirt and a charm offensive, armed with huckleberry chocolate kisses, once landed him a spot on “The Price Is Right,” Vegas-style.
Nieman, 68, of Ponderay, keeps a logbook, filled with meticulous berry-picking notes from his 43 years of supplying loyal customers in North Idaho and even one Idaho politician. Full story.
I've never gone huckleberry picking. Instead, I rely on local farmer's markets for my yearly haul. How much do you love huckleberries? Any berry-picking secrets?
