Huckleberry prices a challenge for berry-dependent businesses

Huckleberries are here, but maybe not for long.

Veterans of the huckleberry industry are expecting a shorter-than-usual picking season due to hot, dry weather, while increased demand has pushed up prices for the elusive and popular berries.

Independent berry pickers are selling a gallon of huckleberries for about $70 on websites such as Facebook and Craigslist.

Commercial buyers, like Willows Huckleberry Land in Hungry Horse, are paying $10.50 per pound. Owner Jim Willows said that's $1.50 more per pound than the price he paid at the start of the summer season.

"The prices have skyrocketed with the demand still heavy," Willows said.

It's a strain on businesses that rely on a hefty huckleberry harvest, such as Eva Gates Homemade Preserves in Bigfork. The family-owned business goes through thousands of pounds of huckleberries every week, according to Abby Monroe, an employee who cleans the berries before they're sold in jellies and syrups.

Monroe said Eva Gates has been able to secure enough berries from longtime suppliers to make it through the season, but she wasn't sure other local businesses would be as fortunate.

"There are so many businesses out there in the valley that are using and needing huckleberries," she said.

The hot, dry weather seems to be to blame for the brief season.

"With all the heat, they're just shriveling up," Monroe said.

Meanwhile, interest in hucks has heated up, too.

"It started out looking like a decent huck year, but between the woods drying out and out-of-state buyers moving into the area to buy and paying a premium, it has been very difficult to get any hucks recently," Willows said.

There's no way around paying top dollar for seasonal businesses.

"Huckleberry is our top seller," Monroe said. "We have to pay for what they are."

THE MOST intrepid pickers, however, believe there are still plenty of berries to be found just off the beaten path.

Levi Hoch is a barista at Fleur Bake Shop in Whitefish, one of the many bakeries in the valley that rely on hucks as a key ingredient. He's also a big-time berry picker and said he's had recent success at an elevation around 5,000 feet.

Below that, Hoch said, it's slim pickings.

"They're already pretty much done there unless it's a north-facing slope," he said.

There aren't as many berries to go around as there have been in past summers, but the berries themselves seem to be in great shape, according to Hoch.

"The taste is really good," he reported. "I've seen some really big ones this year."

Ross Gilbert, a firefighter with the Flathead National Forest, agreed with Hoch's assessment of the berry crop.

"I'm finding them in more obscure places this year," he said.

Gilbert's line of work gives him an upper hand in the search for berries; he said he often finds untouched patches when he's out on a fire assignment. The persistent picker said he likes to take a GPS device to track the exact location, so he can return with buckets on a rare day off from work.

"A lot of times, it's a pain to get back there," he said. "But it's totally worth it."

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.