Be my huckleberry

We can’t all have huckleberries. These notoriously fickle plants only grow in the mountains of the Northwest, and they refuse to submit to domestication. They have a unique aroma that’s unlike any other fruit, but their cousin, the blueberry, offers the closest comparison and is a worthy substitute in most cases.

So, when I relate the events of the huckleberry milkshake challenge, you can follow along wherever you reside with whatever blue-tinted berries you have available. And you should, to help you cope with the furnace-like summer heat.

Like many of my challenges, the huckleberry milkshake challenge began with my kids engaging in one of their preferred pastimes: spending my money. They somehow got it into their minds that they deserved huckleberry milkshakes. I assured them I could do better at home. Of course, they didn’t believe me. And they weren’t swayed by any potential cost savings. 

This apparent stalemate was quickly broken by the fact, as they pointed out, that my boast moved me into checkmate because the only way to prove my superiority was a side-by-side comparison. Which meant a trip to the shack after all.

We pulled up to the window and ordered two large huckleberry milkshakes. The barista was kind enough to identify each ingredient she added to the blender: ice, milk, sugar, huckleberries and homemade vanilla syrup. But seeds of doubt began to sprout in my heart when she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, divulge what was in the vanilla syrup. And when I tasted this stupendous milkshake and found myself instantly floating on a purple cloud, I knew I was really in trouble.

I let the boys split one of the shakes as we jetted home, and I put the other one in the freezer for later. Then I went vanilla shopping.

I was hoping to find the kind of Italian vanilla syrup they have at any espresso bar. It wouldn’t be homemade, but it would be vanilla syrup. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be in small-town Montana. I did have vanilla extract at home, but that alone was not going to cut it. I had a plan that involved multiple sources of vanilla. I grabbed a box of Jell-O instant vanilla pudding. I’ve used this product before in off-label ways, and it always delivers. 

Armed with my vanilla extract and pudding, I felt ready to take on the espresso shack. I may not have had the secret syrup recipe, but I had the power of redundancy, which can do wonders for flavor. And with vanilla, in particular, I have another rule: You can never have too much of it. The sweet aroma of the vanilla pod dances with the berry fragrance, and there isn’t anything not to love. My kids felt the same way about my victorious milkshake, thank you very much.

Blue berry milkshake of victory

Find as many sources of vanilla as you can. I used extract and pudding mix, but you could also include vanilla ice cream.

Makes two servings

• 1/2 cup berries
  
• 2 cups milk (oat milk is just as good as cow’s milk here)
  
• Six ice cubes
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 2 tablespoons Jell-O instant vanilla pudding mix

Add everything to a blender and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust the sugar, vanilla, milk and berries as necessary.