Why yes, those are blueberries in the photos. Thanks for noticing. Here's the thing: I ran out of huckleberries making the muffins, so I had to find a suitable substitute to serve as a model for the photo. For the record, blueberries work wonderfully in this recipe, too.
Huckleberries are like gold here in Wyoming. When I first arrived in Jackson at the beginning of August, I knew that it was just about time for wild huckleberries to be in season. I had these delusional grand ideas of going to the Saturday farmers market at the town square and finding vendor after vendor offering mountains of the freshly picked ripe purple fruit.
Yes, I was going to make streusel-topped huckleberry pies, huckleberry ice cream and huckleberry cupcakes with huckleberry buttercream. Maybe I would find so many huckleberries that I would make pints of huckleberry jam to send to friends!!!
Not. So. Much.
The first Saturday that I went to the market, I found an abundance of beautiful blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.......every type of berry except my coveted huckleberry.
So I asked one of the farmers, "I really wanted to find a source for fresh huckleberries while I am here. Will you have some at future markets, or do you know where I can find some?"
She kind of laughed at me and said, "Well, I do have a source, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. Sorry."
Ooooh-kaaaaayy then......
She then went on to tell me that even if they do have a supply of fresh huckleberries in the future, it will be small and they will sell out quickly, so I should arrive early.
I made my way around the market asking other vendors and locals the same question. Same answer. Every time.
And with that, my huckleberry dream started to fade.
Since that morning, I've learned that wild huckleberries are just that -- wild. They cannot be cultivated, making them quite difficult to source, even in areas where they should flourish, such as Wyoming. This means that if a local has a huckleberry source, they are likely going to keep it closely guarded and they are not going to share.
I did see {what I think were} several almost ripe huckleberry bushes on our recent hike up to Amphitheater Lake, but when they are finally ready to pick I have a feeling that the grizzlies will beat me to them.......and I have no intention of duking it out with a bear.
At last week's market, I was fortunate enough to find one vendor who was selling teeny-tiny bags of wild huckleberries for $5 a pop, 100% targeted to suckers customers like me, who are determined to bake at least one thing huckleberry during the summer. I had to get it out of my system.
I decided to make a variation on one of my favorite muffin recipes from The Black Dog restaurant's cookbook, substituting a few things here and there, as I tend to do (meddling is just too much fun.) These muffins are hearty while still being relatively healthy, and they are especially great to bring along with you on a day full of activity, such as hiking or skiing. You can even punch up the health factor by substituting applesauce for some of the oil. Wild huckleberries add the perfect pop of tartness to these not overly sweet muffins, but blueberries work just as well.
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