Art of the Pie®

Making the World a Better Place One Pie at a Time

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Welcome
    • About
    • Kate McDermott Press Mentions
  • Books
    • Bibliography
    • Erratum
  • Learn
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Contact
    • Media Inquiries
You are here: Home / Recipes / Enough Berries for a Pie

Enough Berries for a Pie

08/25/2016 By Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie 12 Comments

Enough Berries for a Pie

He came to the door with a gallon bag filled one quarter of the way with red huckleberries and asked, “Is this enough for a pie?” Enough? Oh my gosh. It must have taken him hours to pick that many. He told me that it’s really hard to get enough berries for a pie because…well, you know it’s just too easy to snack on them when you are hiking in the wild. Remember reading Blueberries for Sal when you were little?

20160823-red_huckleberriesIt’s more common to see blue huckleberries– the ones that look like the small cousins of blueberries. These little red jewels are found in the coastal mountain forests from Washington to Alaska and ripen in late August through early September. When they are ready, their tart flavor just cries out for a pie making session but whether red or blue, it takes a lot of dedication and hours in the mountains to pick enough for a filling. I know this for a fact because one night around the family table after supper we figured it out. Through a combination of sight, weight, volume, and counting the last of the season’s blue huckleberries picked a few hours earlier, we found that it takes approximately three thousand blue hucks to fill one 9- inch shallow pie-pan and four thousand to fill one deep dish pan. 

There was a bush of red hucks growing out of a tree stump in front of my cabin in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains and somewhere I have a photo of my 2-year-old son eating them with not much else on him except sticky hands and red berry juice dripping down his tummy. 

Enough for a pie?
“Absolutely there’s enough!“

So the very next day I made this one…

20160824-DSCF9010-2_red_huckleberry_pie

with a ruffly lattice top.

20160824-DSCF9026-2_red_hucklberry_pie

He showed up just as it was coming out of the oven and I asked if I could take a picture of him holding it. His dog Zoë had her eye on the pie, too.

20160824-IMG_3880-2

Thanks for the berries, Kevin. I’m glad you liked the pie. 

20160824-IMG_3880-3_red_huckleberry_pie

If you go to pick your own berries be sure that you can identify what you have. You might find fresh blue huckleberries (and red if you are lucky) at a farmers market in season. I’ve also seen blue huckleberries in the freezer section at some grocery stores. 

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Red Huckleberry Pie

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time1 hr 20 mins
Course: Sweet Pie
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie

Ingredients

  • 1 double crust pie dough of your choice
  • 4 cups red huckleberries
  • 3/4 cups sugar plus a bit extra for sprinkling on top
  • A very small grating of nutmeg
  • A small pinch of salt
  • 2.5 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
  • 1 egg white

Instructions

  • Make the a double crust pie dough of your choice.
  • Preheat oven to 425F.
  • Put berries, sugar, nutmeg, salt and tapioca into a bowl, mix and set aside.
  • Roll out one dough and place in pie pan. Pour filling into dough and set aside.
  • Beat egg white and 1 tablespoon water together in a bowl and set aside.
  • Roll out remaining dough and cut into 3/4"-wide strips. Arrange strips over pie in a lattice pattern. Trim off the excess dough and crimp edges of pie.
  • Brush the crust with egg white mixture and sprinkle with an extra teaspoon or two of sugar.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 425F then reduce heat to 350F. Bake about 30-35 minutes more or until the top is golden brown and there is steady bubbling coming through the vents.
  • Let cool before serving.

 

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: berries, huckleberries

12 Thoughts on Enough Berries for a Pie
    Becky Donahue
    25 Aug 2016
     6:32pm

    You are sooooo lucky to have huckleberries for a pie..wish I was there for a taste.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      25 Aug 2016
       6:34pm

      I wish you were too, Becky!

      Reply
    Janet
    25 Aug 2016
     7:42pm

    Are these like Red Currents?

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      25 Aug 2016
       8:00pm

      Although similar in size, and the fruit of both can be used for pies, they are two different species. Red currants are of the Ribes species which is the same species that gooseberries belong. Red huckleberries are of the Vaccinium species.

      Reply
    Dalila G.
    26 Aug 2016
     5:36am

    OMGOSH!! 😉
    What a beautiful pie, it looks so tasty…..lucky Kevin!
    Your ruffly lattice top crust is perfect for this pie Kate.
    Believe it or not I have never eaten a huckleberry, never.
    I need to go on a search and see where I can get a hold of some.
    I would even like to “sample” a preserve of some kind made with huckleberries.
    Have a nice day Kate!

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      26 Aug 2016
       10:09am

      There are a lot of folks who haven’t tasted a huckleberry and especially the red ones. In Missoula one July 4th weekend, my friend Greg Patent took me to the great farmers market there where blue huckleberries were everywhere…yes, I wanted to take all of them home with me. 😉 I have seen them in 8oz packages in the frozen section of some grocery stores, like Central Market in Poulsbo, WA. Check around!

      Reply
    Laurie Tuttle
    27 Aug 2016
     8:22am

    So glad you wrote about huckleberries Kate; someday I hope to try them. I still love & have the book Blueberries for Sal, even though my boys are grown! Your pies are beautiful!

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      27 Aug 2016
       6:00pm

      Thank you Laurie!

      Reply
    Janet
    27 Aug 2016
     5:57pm

    Thanks Kate for the clarification on the difference between Currents! Also wanted to give you an update on my quiche shells. When I made my next batch I made it a bit thicker, fitted it to the pan- let some extra around the top. Place it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Trimmed it. Docked it and placed back in the Freezer. Prior to baking on Friday Evening- I placed some parchment paper on the bottom filled with beans and baked! They came out Beautiful. After cooling- I removed from the pans and baked them with the filling and all without the tart pan they came out Great! Thanks for your help and feedback! Janet

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      27 Aug 2016
       6:01pm

      A pie-fect result, Janet!

      Reply
    Pamela Burden
    30 Apr 2020
     9:14am

    5 stars
    Yes! Just yes! This was perfect! Until I was in my 40’s I never saw a blue huckleberry. I have 38 producing red huckleberry bushes on our property adjacent to Mt Hood National Forest in Oregon. I usually make jam and keep a jar or two in the freezer for muffins, to top ice cream or pancakes. Tried making a pie once but had to wing it for sugar and thickening amount. Too little of either so I salvaged the filling for topping.

    Reply
      Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie
      30 Apr 2020
       9:20am

      Oh I’m so happy it worked for you, Pamela! And how very lucky you are to have all those red huck bushes.

      Reply

Leave A Comment Cancel Reply

Recipe Rating




  • Sign up to receive my weekly newsletter!

Yes that’s me at three! Everyone needs a clown suit.

Bake with Kate

In Person Art of the Pie Day Camps

  • In Person Art of the Pie Day Camps at Pie Cottage for June through September 2022 are Sold Out.

 

Virtual Workshops Broadcast Live from Pie Cottage

  • Key Lime Pie on July 10.
  • Baking Summer Berries with Kate McDermott, a 3-part series in July presented by 92Y in NYC.

Click on the Cover

Art of the Pie (the Book)
Pie Camp Book Cover

Pie Camp: The Skills You Need to Make Any Pie You Want

Home Cooking with Kate McDermott

 

© 2022 · Art of the Pie® · All Rights Reserved