The Health Benefits of Eating Wild Huckleberries and Recipe

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Huckleberries are not grown commercially and may not be available at your local grocer. The best place to find them is at your farmer's and they will be expensive or you can purchase them online.  If you have never tasted a huckleberry it has a similar taste to the blueberry. There are many health benefits in just ounce of huckleberries, low in calories and no cholesterol make this little berry a perfect choice for your healthy diet.

The different types of huckleberries include the black, box, dwarf, and thinleaf. Red huckleberries grow primarily in the western part of North America, preferring slightly acidic soils in the coastal regions.

Huckleberries are high in minerals, iron, potassium calcium and vitamins vitamin A, vitamin B3, vitamin E and vitamin C.   One serving of wild huckleberries has more antioxidant power than any other fruit or vegetable except loganberries and is rich in antioxidants that fight against free radicals that could cause cancer. Due to the huckleberry’s high levels of potassium it helps to promote heart and skeletal muscles. 

Health Benefit

• Aid in protection against cardiovascular diseases
• Improve immune system and help fight off infection
• Ensures proper functioning of nerve and muscle tissues
• Helps in preventing pancreatic cancer.
• Promote insulin production
• Promote cell growth and division
• Protect eye health caused by diabetes
• Aid the pancreas in digesting sugars and starches
• Improves the digestive system functions
• Treat urinary tract infections
• Help to control cholesterol levels
• Promote vasodilatation for better peripheral circulation
• Act as a laxative to naturally treat diarrhea

Essential intake of huckleberries hels protect against peptic ulcers, hemorrhoids, prenatal issues. The leaves from the huckleberry bush can be dried and used to make tea. Drinking huckleberry tea eases glycosuria and hyperglycemia and promotes healthy starch digestion

Huckleberries can be used like blueberries to make pies, cobblers, jams, presearves, syrups, smoothies, icecream , beverages and are widely used in sauces that complements game meats. Vegans and vegetarians would like this when making gluten free huckleberry bread.

Huckleberry Sauce

Ingredient:

• 2 cups wild huckleberries, frozen can be used
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar
• 1/4 cup loganberry liqueur
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1-1/2 tablespoon water

Preparation:

1. In a small, nonreactive saucepan, combine huckleberries, sugar, and raspberry vinegar and the loganberry liqueur.  Lemon zest, juice and salt,
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and add the huckleberries and simmer until the fruit begins to collapse, simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce by less than half.
3.  Pour the cooked berry mixture into a food processor or blender, add lemon juice and zest puree.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small container. Mix together water and cornstarch and slowly whisk into sauce, adjust for thickness. Cover tightly, and refrigerate.