North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>]

   I have questions about Huckleberries:  Is there enough interest in 
Huckleberries to have a NAFEX group?

   Does anyone raise either Vaccinium membranaceum, Black Huckleberry, aka 
Western Huckleberry?  Does Anyone raise Eastern Huckleberry, Gaylussacia 
baccata?

   When I went looking for Western Huckleberry plants, I found the natives, 
especially Montanans, to be very covetous of their native jelly berry.  They 
refused to sell me any!!!  I did finally find someone who would sell plants 
and, though they rated them as zone 3 hardy, didn't offer me much hope of 
survival in Minnesota.  I bought 12 and nine made it through their first 
Winter, some of them just barely - I had a snowless Winter.

   When I went looking for Eastern Huckleberry plants, I found lots of 
(Eastern) Huckleberry Jelly but no plants.  I finally did find one nursery 
who said they had (Gaylussacia baccata) plants but, for unsaid reasons, they 
refused to sell me any.  I finally found some growing wild in Wisconsin.

   Okay, so now I have plants.  Do I have to figure out how to grow them by 
myself or has anyone gone before me and already succeeded.  I would 
appreciate any and all information.  Thanks,

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
www.bberryfarm.com
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]