Rising Demand Boosts Price Of Huckleberries

In Washington and Northern Idaho the hard-to-find huckleberry is nearly worth its weight in gold.

“I’ve seen the prices around $20 a gallon,” said Linda Schulte, spokeswoman for the Forest Service. “They’ve always been popular, but now they’re getting awfully expensive.”

Why? Because huckleberries are small and difficult to pick, she said. And pickers usually have to hike to reach the best bushes.

While huckleberries are cherished by locals who have picked, eaten, frozen and preserved them for years, now visitors from outside the Northwest have discovered the elusive fruit.

“The demand for huckleberries is going up,” said Karene Simchuk, owner of Hidden Acres Orchard in Mead. Simchuk makes huckleberry jam and syrup to sell at her orchard and at tourist shops such as the Made in Washington stores.

“The fruit is popular because it’s gourmet,” Simchuk said. “And I see no end to it (being in demand).”

The orchardist buys her fruit from commercial pickers who find bushfulls of berries in the wilds of Washington and Idaho, usually on Forest Service land. Since she started making huckleberry products 13 years ago, sales have climbed steadily, she said.

Made in Washington sells a number of huckleberry products, including vinegar, syrup, jams and honey. A four ounce jar of jam sells for $4.25.

“It sells fairly slowly, but that is because of the price,” said Pam Roche, a sales associate for the store in Bellevue.

Though some tourists buy the products out of curiosity, Roche sells most of the huckleberry jams and vinegars to native Washingtonians. “They have the background of knowing how special huckleberries are and how prized they are,” she said. “People from this area are buying them as gifts for out of state.”

This year’s crop of huckleberries is just starting to ripen. Peak season should come in mid-August, said Schulte of the Forest Service.

Rather than pay a mint for the fruit, huckleberry fans may decide to do their own picking, said Schulte. She warns against asking regulars where to go. “They’re very territorial,” she said. “It’s like a favorite fishing hole.”

Some of the best places to pick huckleberries in Eastern Washington include Mount Spokane and the Colville National Forest. In North Idaho they include the Priest Lake and Coeur D’Alene areas. The Forest Service provides maps and tips about where and when to pick.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Hannelore Sudermann Staff writer