My social media feeds are increasingly featuring photos of huckleberry harvests and the creations made from them. The season is on. As I note this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, huckleberry season is short but sweet, so I always enjoy some now but save a few for the freezer. I tend to savor mine at breakfast—although I do go big when I pile any fruit on one bowl of homemade granola and fresh yogurt. I’ve taken sourdough starter into the backcountry so that I can dot pancakes with berries harvested at the campsite. Wild berries like huckleberries and blackberries are also delicious paired with homemade cheese and rolled into crepes.

Learn more about using huckleberries and other wild fruit and get the complete recipe for Huckleberry and Cheese Crepes in my column.

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Twice as Tasty

If your huck or other foraged berry haul is decent, or you’re just good at practicing restraint, be sure to toss a few bags in the freezer. As with most small or delicate fruit and vegetables, it’s easiest to sneak a handful from the bag or use them while still frozen if you sort through the berries to remove stems and leaves, spread them on a tray, and freeze until firm. You can then bag and label the berries before freezing them long term, knowing that as long as they stay frozen they won’t clump into a solid block. In recent weeks, I’ve frozen raspberries and blueberries, peach slices, and grilled and chopped broccoli crowns and stems in the same way.

Here are some of my favorite sweet ways to use huckleberries, fresh or frozen. You can find more ideas in the recipe index.

• Rhubarb–Huckleberry Galette
• Yogurt Whey–Berry Muffins
• Berry Curd
• Big Berry Coffee Cake

I also enjoy berries in more savory combinations. Basil, arugula, and asparagus make a tasty salad topped with stinky cheese and fresh or pickled blueberries or huckleberries. In summer, I grill Sourdough Pizza Dough topped with huckleberries, pears, thinly sliced lemon, arugula, and Homemade Fromage Blanc. If I freeze some berries and pickle some pears with lemon, I can enjoy the same summer flavors in winter on baked pizza.

For crepes and other cheese-and-berry combos, I lean toward soft or crumbly cheeses. You can always buy delicious options, but some are simple to make yourself. These are some of my favorite easy homemade cheeses for crepes.

• Lemon Cheese
• Homemade Fromage Blanc
• Whole-Milk Ricotta

If you have yet to head to the hills for hucks, don’t forget that crepes and other thin pancakes can have a wide range of fillings, from sweet to savory Mushroom-Stuffed Blini.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic, a digital collection in an easy-to-read PDF format; it’s only available here.