Let’s face it. We’re not all great dessert chefs. So if you want to enjoy a sweet, delicious huckleberry dessert and you are far from the lands where huckleberries grow, what can you do? If you know you cannot buy huckleberries in stores near you, then there are still two options available to you.
Naturally you can buy a gallon of huckleberries and have them shipped directly to your home. But then you have to find a good huckleberry dessert recipe and hope that it’s what you are looking for. To be honest, that is a very “hit or miss” strategy that could turn out to be expensive for you.
Another way to solve the problem is to buy a good huckleberry topping and use that to dress up your desserts. I wish I had thought of this before. What was I thinking? A dessert topping goes with just about anything: cake, ice cream, cheesecake, pie, etc. You can freeze the topping, chill it, or serve it warm.
The topping that seems to be the best is the Huckleberry Haven Wild Huckleberry Topping, which is sold under the brand Taste the Wilderness. You’ll pay the same price for product and shipping (about $16 total) regardless of whether you buy it through Amazon or directly from their Website.
About two spoons of this rich topping should be sufficient for most dessert servings. Customers rave about it. No, it’s not the same as a thoroughly mixed huckleberry ice cream but we east-coast people are probably out of options for buying huckleberry ice cream until huckleberries can be commercially cultivated. And, frankly, 8000-foot elevation volcanic soils are in short supply in the eastern United States so don’t hold your breath that they’ll come out here any time soon.
Another possibility is to purchase a huckleberry flavoring agent. I have not tried these and don’t know what their quality is like, but customer reviews seem to be positive. Flavoring agents are highly concentrated food additives. They are not anything at all like syrups or toppings. If you have never cooked with a flavoring agent you will need to practice. I suggest you get some locally available flavoring agents and test them with your favorite recipes before you send all the way across country for a huckleberry flavoring agent. If you don’t like the results of your experiments then don’t waste your money. Some people report poor results from using huckleberry flavoring.
You can also use jams to make ice cream. And there are “no churn” ice cream recipes you can try if you don’t have an ice cream maker. You’ll need (about half a litre of) cream, (1 can of) condensed milk, (1 tablespoon of) vanilla extract, a glass or metal mixing bowl, an electric beater, a whisk or skewer, and a little bit of time. And you’ll need a cup of jam (any jam will do but obviously we’re making huckleberry ice cream here).
Pour the cream into your mixing bowl and use the beater to fluff it up. Then add your condensed milk and vanilla extract. Now use your whisk or skewer to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Add a spoonful of the jam every now and then as you mix, until the whole 1 cup serving has been integrated into the cream, milk, and extract.
When you have a thorough mix cover the bowl with a plastic cling wrap and freeze everything for 6 to 8 hours. Most people just say “freeze overnight”. When you are ready to serve let your “no churn” ice cream stand at room temperature for a few minutes. It sounds like it should be pretty good. I’ll have to try this.
For a brief guide to some online huckleberry ice cream recipes, check out our article at Huckleberry Wild.