Berry, berry good

Huckleberry pickin' has been good to me.

WEST GLACIER, MT - - The Flathead Valley is mainly know for  cherries.  But around this time of year it's cherry vs. huckleberry time.  The Huckleberry is about the size of a pea and can be cultivated although it also grows wild so it takes a lot of picking to get a decent amount.  A cup the size in the photo goes for $15;  for 5 lbs. the price drops to $13 per pound.
     "I'm your huckleberry" is featured on tee shirts worn by servers of one popular restaurant chain.  There's huckleberry ice cream, pie, jam,  pancakes, pancake syrup, soda, soap and flavored vodka.  In fact the "huck" can be used about anyway you can think of.
     Of course, here in northwest Montana, they don't tell you that the huckleberry is the state fruit of its neighbor just to the west...Idaho.