Huckleberry Season

It is huckleberry season in Montana! We headed up Pattee Canyon in Missoula for a short hike up to an open area. Just off the path we found tons of huckleberries or "hucks" as Addy likes to call them, ready for our picking.

Huckleberry picking takes a bit longer than blueberry
picking. The are much smaller and hide under the leaves.

Amelia stayed in the backpack since we had to walk
 through the brush and she didn't like the feel
 against her legs. Addy didn't mind too much and she
 sure had fun hunting and picking them. I believe she even
 created her own hunting for huckleberry song!
She is at just the right height for spotting them.  

Looks like Cooper is eating them, but he is just sniffing around!

After about a little less than an hour or so of picking the girls were ready to head back. We had picked about 2 cups of huckleberries, just enough for a huckleberry buckle. This recipe is a Montana version of my mom's homemade blueberry buckle that is made with berries picked fresh from the local orchard up the road from her house. She even had a fresh buckle waiting for us when we arrived in CT, so yummy.

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to try it.

 You can substitute the berries with other berries or even apples.

Preheat oven 375 degrees, spray square pan

Cake:

1/4 cup butter

3/4cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2 cups huckleberries

Topping:

1/4 cup sofened butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar and beat until light. Add eggs, beat well. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternatively with milk, beating until smooth, fold in berries and pour into greased pan. Topping: blend butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of cake mixture into baking pan. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes (temp may vary depending on oven). Cool and enjoy with vanilla ice cream!