My Family's One Summer Tradition Has Been Passed Down Through Generations

Summer might be the peak season for creating–and sustaining–family traditions, especially those involving a trip (often in an over-packed car!). For Allstar Kim Shupe, huckleberry picking on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State was her family's one summer trip tradition. There, she says, huckleberries grow prolifically and can be found anywhere you’re willing to hike. This tart berry is delicious and an excellent ingredient for pies, cobblers, or jams. 

Every year between mid-to-late August, Shupe’s family would pack up their camper with gear, their dogs, and plenty of empty coffee cans and milk jugs, and head to the Cascades to pick huckleberries just an hour or so from their house. They would spend a week camping, fishing, and hiking, but the trip was mostly about picking huckleberries. They would pick gallons full of berries, filling their freezers all year. From an early age, Schupe says, she and her two siblings were only allowed to pick the ripest berries, ensuring that wildlife had some to eat, too: an early and important lesson in respect for her natural environment.

Here’s more of what Shupe had to say about her family’s annual huckleberry-picking pilgrimage that resulted in lots of delicious cooking, baking, and of course, eating berries!

How did this tradition come about? 

My family has been picking huckleberries for generations. My family, some family friends, and I all went berry picking basically every single summer during my childhood. So, it’s just something that I’ve always known to do.

What are your favorite childhood memories from those trips? 

Huckleberries stain your hands reddish-purple when you handle them. We took that as an opportunity to prank each other. We would smear our stained hands all over each other’s faces. Then it was just a waiting game to see how long it took before it washed off!

What type of recipes did you make with the berries?

We made everything with the berries: pancakes, crisps, pies, jam, cobblers, milkshakes, ice cream toppings, huckleberry lemonade—I could go on and on.

Do you have a favorite dish? 

One of my favorite desserts while we were camping was a ‘cobbler’ of sorts. We would throw some huckleberries into a cast iron skillet alongside either fresh-cut peaches (purchased from the fruit orchards/stands on the way to the berry fields), or canned peaches (in juice). Place a couple pats of butter over the fruit. Then, we took a yellow cake mix, added a can or bottle of beer, mixed that together, and poured it over the huckleberries and peaches in the skillet. Cover with tin foil, and place on the campfire to cook until done. It was heaven.

Do you still pick huckleberries? 

I live in Michigan now, where there are no huckleberries, unfortunately. And I haven’t been in a few years. I believe the last time I went was in 2017, however, not a summer goes by that I don’t miss it, though! 

How do you get her huckleberries now? 

I can't get fresh huckleberries in Michigan. But, luckily for me some of my family still goes every year—my aunt, uncle, and cousins. Sometimes my mom goes too, and she will stash a few bags of berries in the freezer for my next visit home.

Have you found any recipes that help you relive your childhood memories? 

A good huckleberry crisp! I like to make a recipe similar to this, except using less sugar in both the filling and topping. I also like to use less cornstarch in the filling and only a pinch of nutmeg in the topping.

What are some ways that readers can fall in love with huckleberries?

Try huckleberry lemonade. It is the perfect summer refreshment! Just mash up a handful of berries in a glass and stir in your favorite lemonade for a gorgeous and refreshing drink!

And add huckleberries to your favorite pancake recipe— homemade, or a boxed mix—tossing a handful of berries in really elevates the dish. Not to mention, you have a mighty delicious breakfast!

This interview has been edited for length for clarity.