Hooper Bald Huckleberries
After a crazy busy summer, we’re back to catch up on the best WNC outdoors has to offer.
To kick off the fall, Am and I took a ride up the Cherohala Skyway to Hooper Bald in the far western part of Graham County to pick some huckleberries. For those not in the know, huckleberries are basically wild blueberries. They grow wild in much of the Appalachians, usually in elevations above 3,000 feet. The main difference in domestic blueberries and huckleberries is the size and sweetness. Huckleberries are much smaller and have a much sweeter taste to them.
We didn’t have to travel far off the main Cherohala Skyway to find plenty of bushes loaded with berries. If you park at the main Hooper Bald trailhead (map here) and follow the gravel path about a quarter mile to the bald, you’ll soon be surrounded by huckleberry bushes ripe for the picking…but you better hurry, the best berries will be gone by the middle of September!
Am and I picked for about two hours and brought home about 10 cups (almost a gallon) of berries. We froze most of them, but the rest we baked into one of the most delicious huckleberry desserts – a huckleberry pineapple crunch. For your enjoyment, the recipe is below.
Huckleberry Crunch
Ingredients:
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
4 c. huckleberries (or blueberries)
1 c. sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
¼ tsp. salt
¼ c. sugar
2 sticks margarine, melted
1 c. chopped pecans
Directions:
Use a 9x13-inch baking dish. No mixing is required.
1. Layer pineapple on bottom of dish
2. Place huckleberries over pineapple
3. Sprinkle 1 c. sugar over berries.
4. Sprinkle cake mix over all ingredients
5. Spoon melted margarine over cake mix.
6. Mix sugar and salt together and sprinkle over margarine.
7. Top with pecans, bake at 350 for 1 hour.
**Strawberries can be used in place of huckleberries when in season.
To kick off the fall, Am and I took a ride up the Cherohala Skyway to Hooper Bald in the far western part of Graham County to pick some huckleberries. For those not in the know, huckleberries are basically wild blueberries. They grow wild in much of the Appalachians, usually in elevations above 3,000 feet. The main difference in domestic blueberries and huckleberries is the size and sweetness. Huckleberries are much smaller and have a much sweeter taste to them.
We didn’t have to travel far off the main Cherohala Skyway to find plenty of bushes loaded with berries. If you park at the main Hooper Bald trailhead (map here) and follow the gravel path about a quarter mile to the bald, you’ll soon be surrounded by huckleberry bushes ripe for the picking…but you better hurry, the best berries will be gone by the middle of September!
Am and I picked for about two hours and brought home about 10 cups (almost a gallon) of berries. We froze most of them, but the rest we baked into one of the most delicious huckleberry desserts – a huckleberry pineapple crunch. For your enjoyment, the recipe is below.
Huckleberry Crunch
Ingredients:
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
4 c. huckleberries (or blueberries)
1 c. sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
¼ tsp. salt
¼ c. sugar
2 sticks margarine, melted
1 c. chopped pecans
Directions:
Use a 9x13-inch baking dish. No mixing is required.
1. Layer pineapple on bottom of dish
2. Place huckleberries over pineapple
3. Sprinkle 1 c. sugar over berries.
4. Sprinkle cake mix over all ingredients
5. Spoon melted margarine over cake mix.
6. Mix sugar and salt together and sprinkle over margarine.
7. Top with pecans, bake at 350 for 1 hour.
**Strawberries can be used in place of huckleberries when in season.
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