Huckleberry Pie Recipe

HuckleberriesWhoever invented huckleberry pie was a great person!  There is absolutely nothing else that tastes quite like a huckleberry pie.  It is the ultimate comfort food, especially after you have been picking huckleberries all day.   If you have never had a Huckleberry Pie and you see them in your frozen section of your store – BUY THEM!  Your are in for a real treat.  The color of the fresh huckleberries vary from a deep purple to deep blue to red.  Learn more about the interesting History of Huckleberries.

Huckleberries are not cultivated commercially, so you have to find them in the wild. The flavor is hard to describe as they have a unique sweet-tart flavor all their own.  When you taste fresh huckleberries or eat a delicious huckleberry pie, you will know what I mean.

They are definitely the gourmet berry of the West – very special and very difficult to find or even purchase.  The huckleberry was designated the Official State Fruit of Idaho in 2000.  The huckleberry has achieved something of a cult following in Montana and some communities even have huckleberry festivals every year.

 

Slice of Huckleberry Pie

 

Wild Huckleberry Pie Recipe:
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Wild Huckleberry Pie Recipe
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
  • Pastry for 9-inch two crust pie
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 firmly-packed cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 4 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
  • 6 cups huckleberries (fresh or frozen), washed and drained*
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

  2. Prepare pie pastry.  Using a floured rolling pin, roll pastry 2 inches larger than an inverted pie plate.  Fold pastry into quarter folds and ease into pie plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side; set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and tapioca (making sure brown sugar is well crumbled).  Gently fold in the huckleberries and lemon juice; let mixture sit for 15 minutes.

  4. Spoon huckleberry mixture into pastry-lined plate; place butter pieces over the top.  Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.


  5. Lattice Top Crust:

  6. Roll out the top crust and cut into 1/2-inch strips.  You can use a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or scallop-edged pastry wheel.  If you're worried about cutting straight, use a ruler as a guide.  Cover the pastry strips with plastic wrap and place the pan of dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the pie filling and transfer it to the pastry-lined pie plate.

  7. When you are ready to weave, moisten the rim of the pie with a small amount of water.  Place approximately 6 strips across the top of the filling.  To weave the cross strips into the first 6 strips, fold every other one about half ways back on the pie.  Place a strip across the pieces that are not folded back and then unfold the folded strips.

  8. Fold back the strips that were left unfolded before and place another strip across the strips that are not folded back.  Unfold the strips and continue on in this manner, alternating the folded strips.  Repeat the same procedure on the other half of the pie.

  9. Lift each strip and moisten the edge of the crust in that area with water and then press the strip back down to seal it at the edge.  When the strips are all placed across the filling, trim the ends 1/8 inch shorter than the overhang of the bottom crust.

  10. Moisten the entire edge of the crust and then turn the overhang from the bottom crust up over the ends of the strips so the edge of the crust is flush with the edge of the pie plate.  Seal the bottom crust and strips by fluting the edges in a desired manner.

  11. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar onto top of pie crust.  Cover edge of crust with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.

  12. Bake approximately 35 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature registers approximately 175 degrees F. on your cooking thermometer and the crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits on crust.  Remove aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

  13. Baked Huckleberry Pie

  14. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and servings.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

  15. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Recipe Notes

* If using frozen huckleberries, thaw first and then drain before using.  Blueberries may be substituted for huckleberries.

 

Thermapen Internal Temperature Cooking ChartI get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer. Originally designed for professional use, the Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world.  I only endorse a few products, on my web site, that I like and use regularly.

You can learn more or buy yours at: Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer.

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Sources:  Photos from The Taste of Oregon web site.

Categories:

Baking    Camping    Dessert Recipes    Fruit Pies & Tarts    Huckleberry   

Comments and Reviews

8 Responses to “Huckleberry Pie Recipe”

  1. vicky

    the picture looks like blueberries, not like the huckleberries in my garden

    Reply
    • Linda Stradley

      Below from the WiseGeek website: Huckleberry is the name for a number of different shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which also includes blueberries and cranberries. Plants with this name come primarily from two genera: Gaylussacia and Vaccinium. The berries are small and round, with a similar appearance to blueberries, though their color may range instead from deep crimson to eggplant purple. The taste is also often compared to that of blueberries, although it is distinct.

      The different types of huckleberries include the black, box, dwarf, and thinleaf. Red ones grow primarily in the western part of North America, preferring slightly acidic soils in the coastal regions. The black and dwarf plants grow mostly in the mid- and eastern part of the continent, while the woolly and Confederate huckleberry grow in the southern US. These plants haven’t been domesticated, and different varieties grow wild throughout North America.

      Reply
  2. Dianne

    How can you tell when huckleberries are ripe. Mine are deep purple almost black. but are still very bitter

    Reply
    • Whats Cooking America

      Mid August to September is the best time of year of picking huckleberries. Deep purple in color and sweet to the taste is an indicator they are ripe and ready to pick.

      Reply
    • Dan

      Dianne, they should be ripe to very ripe at the time you posted your comment. I picked all through Sept and into early Oct and they were almost too sweet by Oct. Sweet yet tart is how they should taste when ripe. I picked in the central Oregon Cascades. Not sure where you picked.

      Reply
  3. Jenee

    Absolutely delicious!!

    Reply
    • Nancy

      Thank you Jenee, glad you liked it.

      Reply
  4. Myap

    Used up our one gallon of huckleberries this year on this pie recipe. I’ve made 2 pies so far with a 3rd in the works. The filling is very tasty ( though I used my own crust recipe) and I followed the recipe to the T. Filling was perfectly sweet and I had lots of compliments on the taste. Won’t be searching for another recipe bc this one is a keeper.

    Reply

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