HUCKLEBERRY
(Artist: Toby Keith, Album: Unleashed)
Just off of the two-lane where the school bus used to stop
Was a little wooden a-frame with a yellow tin roof top
One day it was raining on this world
She said ’have you ever really, really ever kissed a girl? ’
Baby I’ll be your huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me
If the storm gets wild and scary count on me to be right there
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries
We’ll grow up and we’ll get married
I’m gonna be your huckleberry
Later on that summer we went to the county fair
They had a brand new roller coaster and everyone was scared
It was two bucks to experience the thrill
She said ’come on boy let’s get in line I’ll ride it if you will’
Baby I’ll be your huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me
If the ride gets wild and scary count on me to be right there
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries
We’ll grow up and we’ll get married
I’m gonna be your huckleberry
Snuck off on a slow dance at the junior/senior prom
Went lookin’ for some romance before I had to get her home
Steamin’ up the windows of my car
She said ’until I get my wedding ring boy we can’t go that far’
Baby I’ll be your huckleberry, you don’t have to double dare me
If the world gets wild and scary count on me to be right there
You’re so extra ordinary sweet like maraschino cherries
We grew up and we got married
Now look at those three little huckleberries
[Q] “What is the origin of the expression ‘I’ll be your Huckleberry’? What exactly does it mean?”
[A] What it means is easy enough. To be one’s huckleberry—usually as the phrase I’m your huckleberry—is to be just the right person for a given job, or a willing executor of some commission. Where it comes from needs a bit more explaining.
First a bit of botanical history. When European settlers arrived in the New World, they found several plants that provided small, dark-coloured sweet berries.They reminded them of the English bilberry and similar fruits and they gave them one of the dialect terms they knew for them, hurtleberry, whose origin is unknown (though some say it has something to do with hurt, from the bruised color of the berries; a related British dialect form is whortleberry). Very early on—at the latest 1670—this was corrupted to huckleberry.
As huckleberries are small, dark and rather insignificant, in the early part of the nineteenth century the word became a synonym for something humble or minor, or a tiny amount. An example from 1832: “He was within a huckleberry of being smothered to death”. Later on it came to mean somebody inconsequential. Mark Twain borrowed some aspects of these ideas to name his famous character, Huckleberry Finn. His idea, as he told an interviewer in 1895, was to establish that he was a boy “of lower extraction or degree” than Tom Sawyer.
Quite how I’m your huckleberry came out of all that with the sense of the man for the job isn’t obvious. It seems that the word came to be given as a mark of affection or comradeship to one’s partner or sidekick. There is often an identification of oneself as a willing helper or assistant about it, as here in True to Himself, by Edward Stratemeyer, dated 1900: “ ‘I will pay you for whatever you do for me.’ ‘Then I’m your huckleberry. Who are you and what do you want to know?’ ”. Despite the obvious associations, it doesn’t seem to derive directly from Mark Twain’s books.
Short question, long answer!
Huckleberry Recipes
Often confused with the blueberry due to its close resemblance, huckleberries are a wild blue-black berry. Although very similar in taste, the big difference is the seeds within the huckleberry that give it a crunchy texture when fresh and its thicker skin. The flavor is a little more tart than blueberries, with an intense blueberry flavor. Huckleberries are not cultivated commercially, so you will have to find them in the wild. The entire fruit is edible...no need to remove the seeds. Huckleberries can be used interchangeably in most blueberry recipes, so if you find yourself with a huckleberry harvest, just choose a blueberry recipe and give it a whirl. Huckleberry season is normally from June through August. To harvest a large quantity, spread a clean cloth on the ground and shake the plant; ripe fruits will drop onto the cloth. Store at temperatures just above freezing with high humidity.
Here are some selected recipes on using huckleberries. Enjoy!
Huckleberry Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup huckleberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 tablespoons margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup syrup
Instructions
Combine sugar and huckleberries. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, margarine and syrup. Combine the two mixtures, using a fork to stir. Do not over mix. Fill well-greased muffin tins, three quarters full. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 25 minutes.
Credits
From: Native Indian Wild Game, Fish & Wild Foods Cookbook edited by David Hunt (Castle Books)
Huckleberry Pancakes
Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1-1/2 cups huckleberries
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, for garnish
Confectioners' sugar
Warm maple syrup
Instructions
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium size mixing bowl. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with the sugar, then stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. The batter should have the consistency of thick cream with some lumps. Do not over mix. Heat a large griddle or 2 large non-stick skillets over medium-high heat, then brush each lightly with some of the remaining melted butter. Gently drop the batter into the skillets by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart. Press a few huckleberries into each pancake and cook until the undersides are golden brown and bubbles are breaking on top, about 1-1/2 minutes. Turn and cook 1-1/2 minutes longer on the other side. Keep the pancakes warm in a low oven as you cook the rest of the batter. Divide the pancakes among warmed plates and top with the strawberries. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.
Yield: 4 servings
Credits
From: Nicole Routhier's Fruit Cookbook by Nicole Routhier (Workman Publishing)
Huckleberry Crisp
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups huckleberries, sweetened
1 cup huckleberry juice (drained from fruit)
Topping (below)
Instructions
Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and spices in a saucepan. Add lemon and huckleberry juices and stir until smooth. Cook over low heat until thickened and clear, stirring constantly. Stir in huckleberries and pour into a greased baking dish.
Topping 1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons flour
3 cupscorn flakes
Melt butter in a saucepan. Combine sugarand flour and add to butter. Cook, stirring constantly over low heat for 3 minutes. Add cornflakes mixing quickly until they are coated with syrup. Sprinkle over the huckleberry mixture and bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until topping is crisp and golden brown. Serve warm or cold.
Credits
From: Native Indian Wild Game, Fish & Wild Foods Cookbook edited by David Hunt (Castle Books)
Huckleberry Cream Pie
Ingredients
9" Pie Shell
3 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Pint Whipping Cream
2 Cups Fresh Huckleberries (or Blueberries)
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Water
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
Instructions
Mix Cream Cheese, Powdered Sugar and Vanilla together. Spread the cream mixture onto the bottom of a baked pie shell.
In saucepan, combine the Huckleberries, Sugar, Water, Cornstarch and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened. Pour on top of the cream mixture. Whip the Cream and spread on top of cooled pie. Top with fresh Huckleberries.
Credits
From: Appleton Inn and Breakfast, Helena, Montana
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