How to Use a Huckleberry Rake
Huckleberries are native to Idaho and Montana. They are smaller than blueberries, but similar in color. The catch is that huckleberries grow only in the wild, dotting the mountainsides of their Northwest habitat. For those who want to pick enough huckleberries in a day for jam, pie and the freezer, a huckleberry rake will facilitate the best yield possible.
Instructions
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1
Purchase a huckleberry rake. Choose a rake that fits your hand comfortably, and has tines that are no more widely spaced than 1/8- to 1/4-inch apart. Make sure the holding area for the huckleberries has at least a 1-quart capacity.
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2
Determine where the huckleberries are ripe for the picking. Huckleberry high season is generally the end of July through the first of September. They grow the thickest in higher altitudes in Idaho and Montana.
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3
Hold your huckleberry rake by the handle, tines up. Ease the tines of the rake into the base of some ripe berry-laden branches.
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4
Pull the rake gently through the branches of the huckleberry bush using a steady upward motion. Jiggle the tines back and forth slightly to encourage the berries to disengage from the plant.
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5
Remove any squished berries, leaves and twigs from the rake's tines. Push any whole stray huckleberries into the rake's cache area.
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6
Continue to rake the bush until all ripe berries are harvested.
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7
Empty your harvest into a storage container when your huckleberry rake's cache compartment is full.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear hiking boots and long pants when tramping around huckleberry country.
Guess who else likes huckleberries? Be sure your bear spray is at hand at all times.
