Chokecherries,Huckleberries,Elderberries And Service Berries.

      For anyone that lives in any of the Western States in the USA, going Chokecherry or Huckleberry picking in the Fall is very popular. The Fruit of these two and Elderberries are made into Jams, Jelly, Muffins with fruit, Pies, Wines and Pancake Syrup. The Service Berry is also made into pies because both Service Berries and Huckleberries do make a good Blueberry substitute. But Service Berries are more common as a snack berry. Most of the time when Service Berries become ripe they have no sugar or juice in the berry. When you try to eat them they are dry and tasteless. But I check on these berries every year and sometimes they are plump, sweet, juicy and really Yummy to eat. They are so good to eat that after I have visited the tree, the fruit will be all gone and there will be none left for anyone else. When it comes to eating Service Berries I guess I am a little pig.
      There are lots of stories to be told over and over again that is centered around going Huckleberry and Chokecherry picking and I plan to tell some of my stories. All of these Berries are very high in Vitamin C and they also have a lot of Pectin in them. If  you were to store any of these berries in your freezer they would make good medicine in controlling a once in a while case of Diarrhea. The Pectin in the fruit is whats doing the job and these fruits will also help you to overcome any constipation. When ever either one of these problems take place, all you have to do is make a Berry Pie and eat your problems away. Of course you can also take Pepto-Bizmo.
      One year we had a Family reunion in Island Park in the State of Idaho. It is a family tradition to eat a Pancake Breakfast with Real Butter and Chokecherry Syrup. Eggs and Sausage is also served but the Pancakes and the Chokecherry Syrup with some whipped cream on top is what everyone wants. This is really a special treat for Breakfast. Later that morning several of us went on a hike with a Lady Ranger. She gave us a history lesson on both the Indians and the Mountain Men who use to live in this area. She told us about the wild animals that live there and she gave us the names of several plants that we had passed and what the Indians used to do with them. Then we came to a Chokecherry bush and it was loaded with cherries but they were not ripe yet. She said that this was a Chokecherry Bush but do not eat the berries. They are very poisonous. Everyone in our group told her that they were not poisonous and we had just got through eating pancakes with chokecherry syrup on them. She said she had never heard such a thing and the information that they were poisonous came from a Ranger Book.
      In a way the Ranger was telling the truth. If you were to eat the Chokecherries right off the tree they do not taste good and they will somewhat choke you as you try to eat them fresh. The seeds inside the berries have a poison in them that can make you very sick if you were to swallow a bunch of them. My wife will take the freshly picked cherries home and boil them in a large pot. The juice is a dark Purple-Red color. She will boil the cherries twice and then combined both juices together. The juice is put into both quart size and half gallon glass bottles and boiled in a water bath and when the bottles cool down the lids will seal onto the bottles. When ever we need some Jelly or Pancake Syrup,  sugar and or Pectin is added to the juice and boiled on the stove making both Jelly and Syrup. I have noticed though that after a good heavy frost in the fall, any of the chokecherries that may still be on a tree, the frost will make the cherries sweet and good to eat without the choking effect. But most generally when a heavy frost comes there is generally no more cherries on the tree.
      Just like the Chokecherries  Do Not Eat The Elderberries Raw. They Will Make You Very Sick!!!!
 But after you have cooked the berries then they are OK to eat. Elderberries makes a great tasting pancake syrup, jelly and a yummy pie. The Mountain Folk know how to make a great tasting Wine or Brandy from the Elderberries. A tea that is made from the cooked Elderberries or the flowers will help a person to overcome a Cold or the Flu.
      I would like to say a few more things about the Chokecherry before I quit. The Indians enjoyed using the stout sticks on the Chokecherry Bush. They made a strong powerful Bow that was excellent for hunting, and it kept it's spring way longer then any other wood. Remember these words of wisdom just case we may have to rely on some other weapons besides guns. The Bark from the Chokecherry Bush made into a tea made an excellent gargle. This Gargle will get rid of all the gunk and unwanted matter that may collect in your throat. I have personally tried this Gargle and it does work. If you were to swallow some of it that is OK because this tea is also good for an upset tummy. Another thing that this Gargle will do, it will tune-up your vocal cords. If you could not sing before this Gargle will allow you to sing for the first time and if you already have a lovely voice this Gargle will make it more beautiful. I kid you not !!
      When going Huckleberry picking the berries are quite small and it takes 2 or 3 hours to get a gallon container full. The Huckleberry Plants generally grow on the east side of a mountain slope. So when one goes Huckleberry picking you have to go way up into the mountains and it takes most of the day to pick a few quarts of the berries. My wife and I will take lunch with us and have a picnic while berry picking. Plus there is a great feeling when you are in the mountains and enjoying the great outdoors. In my eyes this beautiful mountainous area is God's Country.
      One time many years ago, the Huckleberries were as big as pie cherries plus the plants were just loaded with the berries. They were plump, very sweet and juicy and you could pick a whole gallon in less then a half hour. We picked several gallons that day and a lot of people were there picking the berries. That was a fun day picking the fruit and visiting with other people and making new friends. At the end of the day, we started back home and we passed a chokecherry bush that was heavy with lots of big berries. My wife could not pass them up so we stopped the car and she began picking. On the other side of the road was another chokecherry bush and my wife sent me over there to pick those berries also. Right next to this chokecherry bush was a small service berry bush and it was loaded with plump juicy berries. I did pick all the chokecherries and when I left all the service berries were gone also. I ate them all. That was one of the best days we have ever had for both chokecherry and huckleberry picking.
      Only a few weeks ago my wife asked me if I was interested in doing some fishing in the mountains and while I was fishing she would pick chokecherries. Well, on the way to the fishing hole we passed by several chokecherry bushes and we had to stop at each one and pick all the berries. At the fishing hole there were several bushes loaded with chokecherries just up the road. I dropped my wife by the berry bushes and I drove to a near by campground to use their bathroom and all around the bathroom were chokecherry bushes with maybe 4 gallons of chokecherries. This was way more berries then where my wife was picking. So I picked her up and took her by the bathrooms and she picked all the berries and by the time that I had caught my limit in fish she had also picked all the chokecherries that were up the road also. That was a good day for both fishing and chokecherry picking.
      I read this story in a Big Foot book and I hope you will enjoy it. A man went huckleberry picking all by himself because his wife had to work that day. After he had been picking for an hour, he heard a noise and when he looked up the hill there was a Big Foot sitting on the ground eating the berries about 300 feet away. The man kept staring at him because this was the very first Big Foot he had ever seen. The Big Foot looked at the man and then stood up and began walking towards the man. The man dropped his bucket and ran down the hill and got inside of his car. When he looked back at the Big Foot the creature was sitting down and was eating the berries the man had picked. When the berries were gone the Big Foot began walking towards the car and the man started his car and got out of there. The Big Foot might have had the same feelings as Casper the Friendly Ghost. While the Big Foot was running down the hill he was saying: " I just want to be your friend ".