Garden Huckleberry Plant

For local pickup only.

An antioxidant-rich garden berry that undergoes an amazing flavor transformation when cooked and just lightly sweetened! There is a stark contrast between eating the berries raw and in their cooked and sweetened state. The raw ripe berries have a tart flavor, similar to tomatillo, yummy for savory snacking and salsas. The cooked and lightly sweetened berries are reminiscent of blackberry or gooseberry. The garden huckleberry is native to Africa and is a solanaceous berry in the tomato family. The intense purple-black hue of the berries indicates high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanin. We adore this nutritious, quick-maturing annual that produces masses of fruit in a short season. For very best flavor it is important to harvest at the correct stage. Berries will be a shiny, green to black when under-mature; at this stage, the flavor will be unpleasant and the berries may be slightly poisonous. The berries mature to a dull black color and should be slightly soft to the touch; at this point the berries are perfect to eat and quite tasty. The truly spectacular flavor of these berries is revealed when the berries are cooked and sweetened; this brings out a fruity, blackberry-like flavor that is simply sublime. We have seen these berries reimagined into yummy jams, pies, syrups & fillings.  A very rewarding fruit crop to grow! 

Solanum garden berries are not true huckleberries, but rather annuals that are related to nightshades like tomato and eggplant, and are grown similarly.