DISCLAIMER: There is conflicting information regarding the toxicity of plants in the Solanum melanocerasum species. To be safe, only harvest fully ripe berries with dull, dark skins as green or under-ripe berries may be poisonous. Cook prior to consumption. Garden Huckleberry is a solanaceous garden berry native to Africa that is commonly used as a berry substitute in baking and canning recipes. With this variety, we feel that establishing realistic expectations is critical before growing. First, this huckleberry is not the same as the native huckleberries of the Vaccinium or Gaylussacia genera which are commonly found along the Pacific coast of the United States. Secondly, although often described as a blueberry substitute, the berries do not taste like blueberries. Instead, they are tasteless and sometimes bitter, especially when eaten raw. We tried folding them into a blueberry muffin recipe and found that they did not cook sufficiently enough to soften. Our children were not really impressed with the product, but it is very possible that our preparation was lacking. Despite our experience, we have decided to offer this variety on a trial basis because we have heard so many gardeners rave about how good they are when cooked, sweetened and mixed with a bit of lemon juice before using in jam or pies. We also can say that we were very impressed with the productivity of this variety, with plants growing to 4' tall and yielding more than 10 gallons of berries from just three plants. We recommend harvesting the berries in the fall, once a majority of the berries have ripened. Green or under-ripe berries have been reported to be poisonous, so only harvest fully-ripe berries that are somewhat soft to the touch and have dark, dull skins (See note below.) 90-100 days from transplant. 50 seeds per packet. Note: The camera settings in the first few pictures above make the berries appear glossy. Refer to the last picture for an example of how the skins should appear at harvest.
