Huckleberries, a species related to the blueberry but with its
own genus (Gaylussacia baccata), are jet black when ripe, are
generally devoid of bloom (wild yeast), and have 10 seeds each.
They grow in woods and thickets and cleared wildlands from
Canada to Louisiana. Where blueberries grow wild, many people
pick huckleberries without realizing they are a separate berry
altogether. The Box Huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera), a
native of the mountains of Pennsylvania and Tennessee, is even
more easily confused with the blueberry because its fruit are
blue rather than black, but they still have the tell-tale 10
seeds. It is a low mounding plant that spreads by underground
stems. Its leaves are bright green, thick and leathery, turning
bronze-red in winter. Put water on to boil. Meanwhile, sort and
wash the berries, discarding any not sound or ripe. Put the
huckleberries in a primary and mash them with a sanitized potato
masher or piece of hardwood. Add sugar to primary and pour
boiling water over berries and