Page 49 - PureMontana // 2016

FLATHEAD LAKE
SWEET &TART
Stop by a roadside stand for one of the region’s best treats: Flathead Sweet Cherries. Or head for the hills to harvest
y
berries themselves.
Most summers, the mountains sur-
rounding the Flathead bear a gener- ous huckleberry bounty. ey thrive in mid-alpine regions between 3,000 and 7,000 feet. Look for forests with roughly 50 percent tree cover. Huckleberries love sunlight, just not too much. Anytime between May and July, you’ll likely nd wild hucks on sunny, south-facing slopes with a slight incline. As the sum- mer stretches on, bushes at increasingly higher elevations will pop bright blue.
ey’ve long been used as a tradi- tional medicine, and now you can nd them in almost every baked good and household product, from pie and mu ns to soap and candles. But here’s the thing: You’ll never get sick of ‘em. We prom- ise. Same goes for those sweet, sweet Flathead cherries. Mid-winter, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you bought some preserves. When the next summer rolls around, you’ll look for that explo- sion of white owers and blue bushes. And you’ll slam on your breaks the sec- ond you see that rst “Fresh Hucks for Sale” sign.
Sour own Montana-famous Huckleberries
ometime near the middle of water here that makes the crop singular. May—when exactly is depen- Everything comes together like magic dent on weather patterns around for a reliably plump harvest.
Cherries ripen at Big Sky Orchard along Flathead Lake in July. GREG LINDSTROM
the lake—cherry trees at the southern A stalwart crop for local farmers, peo-
terminus of Flathead Lake begin to ower. e bloom ows north, and as entire orchards turn white, it surrounds the lake in a ring of owers by the end of the month.
e sweet cherries themselves, how- ever, ripen later in the summer, in July and August. at’s long after most other cherry trees across the country have dried up. So if you’ve ever eaten fresh cherries on Labor Day, there’s a good chance that you’ve already enjoyed this regional treat.
ere’s no speci c strain of Flathead cherry. Farmers here grow millions of pounds of all varieties, including Lapin, Sweetheart, Rainier, and Santina cher- ries. It’s the unique soil, climate, and
ple living around the valley have long celebrated the cherries at the Flathead Cherry Festival in Polson, at the south end of the lake. One of the summer’s best weekends, craftsmen, vendors, musicians, and foodies come together for the fête.
e region is also famous for its prized huckleberries, a purple-blue berry related to the blueberry. e huckleber- ry’s avor is similar to its cousin’s, often just a little bit more tart. It’s a staple in the Montana palate.
Much more elusive, sensitive to weather shifts, and resistant to domes- tication, huckleberries are a special breed. Unless you have a particularly nice friend, or you catch a roadside stand early in the morning, one must harvest these
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