During our first week in Idaho, Tim and I received a welcome card from a church family which included a coupon for “Purple Gold”. A note on the back clued us in that Purple Gold was a code name for huckleberries.
Huckleberries are small berries with a beautiful, deep purple hue and just so happen to be the state fruit of Idaho. They grow wild all around our new home. Animals and people alike enjoy them and the little berries are worth a pretty penny when sold at retail value, hence the nickname Purple Gold.
We received our Purple Gold last week. On the list of ideas for ways to use them that was kindly included with our berries was adding a cup to zucchini bread. I adore zucchini bread, with its moist crumb and mild flavor, so I didn’t waste time putting a batch together.
The huckleberries were the perfect sweet-tart addition to the autumn flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar. Green flecks from the zucchini and bursts of blue and purple from the berries make each slice a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors.
I adapted a zucchini bread recipe from the consistently delicious cookbook, Just A Matter of Thyme by Roxie Kelley, to make this rendition.
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini, unpeeled
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 cup huckleberries, tossed in flour to prevent sinking
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease two 9-inch loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs well. Add oil, sugar, and zucchini. Mix thoroughly.
- Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well.
- Fold in huckleberries.
- Pour into prepared loaf pans . Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pans to cool.
Emily C Gardner 
Wait a sec, I’ll be right over! We just made chocolate chip cookies here – with a little flax meal, whole wheat flour and walnuts. It’s a great day to bake! Can’t wait to try this one… can we even GET huckleberries in CA? :)
That sounds delicious, Laurie! I had only heard of huckleberries in theory when I lived in California… The bread would be equally delicious with blueberries :)
I found this recipe and have made 3 batches of Huckleberry zucchini bread! So delicious!!
I’m so glad you liked it Jaina! We didn’t get any huckleberries this summer so I think I’ll have to make a few loaves with blueberries instead.
Have two loaves in the oven right now. Hope it’s as good as you say it is. Will let you know.