I grew them in 2006, from Sandhill Preservation Center seed. They were a "feel good crop," in that they handled our conditions and produced extremely well. There are several subspecies of Garden huckleberry or Wonderberry. But I believe they are all very similar. Luther Burbank developed one. They can be eaten raw. But I don't think many would want to. They need lemon juice and sugar to make them really palatable. I don't know why, but my saved seed failed to germinate. I did manage to sprout one this spring, and it died afterwards. Garden Huckleberries are annuals in this climate. I don't know what they'd do in a subtropical zone, as they are somewhat frost resistant. I've heard that the readily reseed. But mine didn't.

These are not the same as huckleberries, which are a wild form of blueberry. Huckleberries are delicious right off the plant. But they need more acidic conditions and more moisture than I believe Oklahoma generally affords.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Actually, I checked and found that I grew them in 2007. Then my home saved seed flopped in 2008 & 2009. Here's the recipe which I received from Sandhill Preservation Center:

Garden Huckleberries

Place 8 cups of berries in a non-aluminum one gallon size pan and add enough water to not quite cover the fruit. As they begin to boil add a total of 1/3 cup of baking soda (a little at a time) and stir continuously. As you add baking soda, green foam will appear. After adding the baking soda, cook for 10 minutes at a low boil. The mixture will continue to foam quite a bit as the berries are cooking. After they have cooked for 10 minutes, drain this solution off and rinse with clean water. The berries will still be somewhat hard. Next return the pan of berries to the stove, add 1/3 cup water and ý cup of lemon juice. Watch with amazement as the mixture changes from emerald green to a royal purple color. Cook an additional 35 minutes until the berries are tender and then add 2 þ cups of sugar, 1 ý tablespoons lemon extract, ý teaspoon salt and ý cup of tapioca. Pour the above mixture into two 8 inch unbaked pie shells, the add a top crust or lattice and bake as you would a blueberry pie. You can also eat the sauce or use it as an ice cream topping.

Carol, I bought a package of Wonderberry seed from Baker Creek, I think. Plan to plant them next spring.

I think something that would be really good to plant would be elderberries. They will grow wild in this area. But the birds love them so you'd have to have it planted where you could put netting over it.

Don't forget blackberries. They're native to Oklahoma. You can get thornless varieties, I did and I found thorns on the canes. So I don't know what's up with that. Raspberries will grow here if you plant them where they are happy. I had some at the house in Bartlesville, planted along the foundation on the east side of the house. I didn't know much about gardening when I planted them, but they did well in spite of it all.

George, thanks for that recipe. I'll save it for next summer and hope I get a crop!

I once had a berry book that included this corner of Oklahoma as being a good place for blueberries to grow, but I have lost the book. Evidently huckleberries grow all over the place.

Not the courthouse sign below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Delaware County Oklahoma

A forester friend of mine recently pointed out wild huckleberries growing on our land. I'd often wondered if that's what they were, growing in a stand of pines. I've never seen any berries on them but, now that I know what they are, I'll have to look up when they fruit so I can keep a closer eye out.

We have elderberries here, started from some seed I got from the swap in OKC a few years ago. They've done wonderfully for us, living through much abuse. I've never had a bird problem with them and harvested all of them. I canned several pints of elderberry syrup with them this year.

Blackberries. Ugh. Don't get me started. I love the fruit but our wild plants are continually trying to take over the world. I'm starting to hate them almost as much as Bermuda and Johnson.

Diane