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[Mark and Piper <piper33@verizon.net>]

I have been growing Vaccinium ovatum, the evergreen huckleberry, for the 
past 3 years. It is starting to produce bunches of berries now. I tried 
them last September when they looked ripe, but they had little flavor 
then and were sour. They are still hanging on the branches now in 
February. They have been exposed to freezing weather all winter. The 
cold has improved the quality of the fruit. Now they are sweet and 
fruity. They are the only fruit I am picking now in the garden. I do 
have some lingonberries hanging on the bush, but they are past their 
prime. It will be a few months until any other berry is ready to pick. A 
strange thing about Vaccinium ovatum is that it is also currently in 
bloom. I was giving a friend a tour of my garden a few weeks ago, and 
she pointed out the fact that Vaccinium ovatum requires a whole year to 
develop fruit. That's what I call slow food. The only plant I grow that 
can top this feat is my Italian Stone tree. It takes two years to 
develop pinenuts.
-Mark Lee, Edmonds