The first whispers of “hucks” started a couple of weeks ago, with small patches reported at lower elevations. As the season progresses, ripening moves faster and higher, until the last look could become a near-ridgeline search for the little flavor bombs.

As I kid, I’d toast over a campfire just about anything I could spear on a stick. Perhaps that’s why I’m still drawn to skewers. But they’re practical, too.

When the first few cherries ripen, I’ll harvest and pit enough to fill a cup and then bake scones just before bed, when the temperature has cooled and I can stand to heat the oven

A heavy-duty immersion blender handles the blending work, and an ounce of alcohol in the mix makes the ice crystals smaller and easier to smooth out

Tender scapes can be sliced onto salads or into stir-fry, minced for pesto or savory jam and even pickled

I do so much pickling that I buy 5% acidity vinegars in gallon jugs and lime and lemon juices in quart jars from US Foods in Kalispell

For the simplest side, grill the broccoli and sprinkle it with some smoked sea salt and perhaps a squeeze of fresh lemon

I tend to go big when making pesto, blending up a larger batch than we’ll eat fresh and freezing the rest to use all year

By infusing sugar and water with the herb, the flavor stays fresh, bright and strong

Infusing sugar and cream with lilacs is simple; it just takes fresh blossoms and time

One of the beauties of dressings is that you can find a ratio you like and tweak it to fit whatever flavors suit your salad

The two rhubarb plants that now grow at my little cabin are offshoots of my dad’s crowns, likely making them fourth-generation plants

I dry most herbs in a dehydrator, spreading them on the trays to dry at the lowest setting

At home, I grill vegetables on a battered hand-me-down Weber kettle grill; I think I’m its third or fourth owner

True morels, with their conical, honeycombed caps, are among the more easily identifiable edible mushrooms