In early August. we drove up to the Sawtooth Berry fields. Last year this time the berries were past their prime; this year the winter rains and snow were late. We had snow and cold weather well into April. In a previous post I mentioned that the roads were still blocked with snow in late May.
The berries in the Sawtooth fields were still green. Many plants were still flowering showing no berry swelling.
Picking berries is inconvenient. It’s hot, the air is thin and dry. Insects are constantly buzzing around your face when they aren’t landing and biting any bared skin. In addition, the ground is strewn with broken branches, and the berries are widely spaced from one another; which means lots of stepping and bending. I love it! The experience provides a direct connection to the environment as well as the peoples who have used it since the retreat of the glaciers.
Reading the works of the early explorers and trappers who noted the importance placed on this resource by the Columbia River peoples, is informative. Actually being out in the fields interacting with the bushes, watching birds, swatting flies, brings one much closer to a realized life.
I know of no place where I can build on the experience of others and look look up the current status of berry ripeness. You simply have top go and see for yourself, it’s part of the experience.
When the local peoples left their settlements along the river, they had no idea if they were going to be on time. I imagine that missing the peak of the season was much worse than being too early. However they had berries growing over a range of elevations that would mitigate things somewhat.
After searching for an hour, we relocated to the west slope of the ridge. Here we had better luck, gathering four pints over the next two hours. The berries were tarter than they have been in past years—probably just too early to make the sugars. We can, however, attest to the bumper crop of deerflies and mosquitoes.
It’s really wonderful that variation in seasonal weather has such an effect on the harvest. It keeps us in touch with the constant changes in conditions. No two years are the same.
Our berries made a wonderful cobbler. It took more sugar than normal to achieve the desired sweetness, but the huckleberry flavor was as evident as always.
We will try again in a few weeks.