Period Huckleberry Biscuits

[Eleanor Rose]

Huckleberries growing in the wild.
​

From the The Willimantic Journal, August 7, 1863:

"Having tested and tasted the article made from the following receipt, we pronounce it not bad to take, and we recommend housekeepers to try it: 6 tumblers of flour, 4 of huckleberries, 2 of sour milk, a piece of butter the size of an egg rubbed into the flour, half a cup of brown sugar, a large teaspoonful of saleratus, and a teaspoonful of salt."

You have to love the, "we pronounce it not bad to take." What an endorsement! By the way, saleratus is just a leavening agent consisting of potassium or sodium bicarbonate.

 

[Deleted User CS]

Ellie. I never heard of this type of biscuit before but the recipe looks and sounds delicious enough to try one day. My maternal grandfather and I loved to pick huckleberries a lot when I was a kid. They were very good childhood memories for me. The so called "huckleberry capital of the country" is located in the county (Perry) adjacent to the county I presently live in, which is Dauphin County. Every New Year's Eve the people of Perry County drop a huckleberry from the town square. Just some interesting facts to share with you. David.

 

[Legion Para]

 

[mofederal]

Now I would like to try these biscuits. I figure they might be a little different, but a little adventure wouldn't hurt any. I know I have seen these in the wild, but never in any farmer's markets or stores.

 

[donna]

Love blueberries.