Huckleberry
Huckleberry is a name common in North America for various plant species of the heather family ( Ericaceae ) from the closely related genera Vaccinium and Gaylussacia , such as. B. the American blueberry .
The huckleberry is the national fruit of Idaho .
Naming
The term 'Huckleberry' is a North American variation on English dialect expressions such as 'Hurtleberry' or 'Whortleberry' [ ˈwɜːtəlbɛrɪ ] for blueberry . In North America, the name was used for a number of plants with small berries, the color of which can be red, blue, or black. It is the common name of various Gaylussacia and some Vaccinium species such as the 'Red Huckleberry' ( Vaccinium parvifolium ). It is also used for other types of Vaccinium , which are also known as blueberries , depending on local use, such as in New England and the Appalachians .
Systematics
Gaylussacia
Four species of huckleberry of the genus Gaylussacia are common in eastern North America, namely Gaylussacia baccata , also known as 'Black Huckleberry'.
Vaccinium
From the coasts of central California to southern Washington and British Columbia , the 'Red Huckleberry' ( Vaccinium parvifolium ) is found in maritime-influenced plant communities. In the Pacific Northwest and in the mountains of Montana and Idaho , these and other species such as the black 'Vaccinium Huckleberry' ( V. membranaceum ) and the blue 'Cascade Huckleberry' ( V. deliciosum ) grow up to 3,500 meters in various habitats in the central alpine regions on mountain slopes, in forests or in the catchment areas of lakes. The plants thrive best on moist, acidic soils of volcanic origin, where they reach heights of 1.5–2 meters. The berries usually ripen in mid to late summer, and later at higher altitudes. Huckleberrys are one of the few species of flora on the slopes of Mt. St. Helens that survived the 1980 volcanic eruption . In 2017 they were still one of the dominant species on the slopes of the volcano.
Various species such as V. membranaceum , V. parvifolium and V. deliciosum are grown as ornamental plants in favorable climates . The 'garden huckleberry' ( Solanum scabrum ), on the other hand, is not a real huckleberry, but a representative of the nightshade family .
Use as food or in folk medicine
Traditionally, huckleberries were collected by the Indians of North America and the First Nations peoples along the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada, interior British Columbia and Montana as food or for use in folk medicine . The berries are small and round (5–10 millimeters in diameter) and look like large, dark blueberries. The taste is bitter and is reminiscent of blueberries, especially in the blue and purple varieties. Some species have remarkably large bitter seeds. The fruits are used in many different ways in food and drinks, e.g. B. in jams, puddings , confectionery, cakes, pies, muffins , pancakes , salad dressings , juices, teas, soups and syrups . In folk medicine, huckleberries were used to treat pain, heart ailments, and infections.
Huckleberries are eaten by bears , birds , coyotes, and deer .
ingredients
Few studies have looked at the essential ingredient content in huckleberries; none of these studies show a high content.
Two huckleberry species ( V. membranaceum and V. ovatum ) have been examined for secondary plant substances; the higher total content of anthocyanins and polyphenols in V. ovatum was found. Both types contained 15 anthocyanins ( galactosides ; glucosides ; arabinosides such as delphinidin , cyanidin , petunidin , peonidin and malvidin ) but in different proportions.
Colloquial usage
Huckleberrys be as representative term since the origins of the Anglo-American slang used (Slang). The small size of the berries led to the designation of something small, often used tenderly as in the text by Moon River . The phrase "a huckleberry over my persimmon " means "a little beyond my capabilities". “I'm your huckleberry” is used to express that someone is exactly the right person for a (vacant) job. The range of nineteenth-century slang expressions was quite wide and included people of importance or loved ones.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quoted as “US 1670” in Charles Talbut Onions : Shorter Oxford English Dictionary , 3rd Edition, Volume 1, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1933, p. 930.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Barney DL: Growing Western Huckleberries . University of Idaho. 1999. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
- ↑ Recovery: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument . Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture. 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ↑ Steven Foster, Christopher Hobbs: A Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2002, ISBN 0-395-83807-X .
- ↑ a b c Strass K: Huckleberry Harvesting of the Salish and Kootenai of the Flathead Reservation . 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ↑ Nutrition facts for Huckleberries, raw (Alaska Native) per 100 g, from US Department of Agriculture Nutrient Tables, version SR-21 . Conde Nast. 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ↑ a b Jungmin Lee, Chad Finn, Ronald Wrolstad: Comparison of anthocyanin pigment and other phenolic compounds of Vaccinium membranaceum and Vaccinium ovatum native to the Pacific Northwest of North America . In: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . 52, No. 23, 2004, pp. 7039-44. doi : 10.1021 / jf049108e . PMID 15537315 .
- ↑ World Wide Words: Huckleberry . In: World Wide Words .
- ↑ Gullible Gulls, Huckleberry, Jumbi, wooden nickels, Realtors, and Calling a Spade a Spade , The Word Detective , apparently based on the Dictionary of American Regional English
- ^ Huckleberry , Douglas Harper , Online Etymology Dictionary , 2001