https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/241594529
This time I went out the road here in Juneau for a drive and I found some berries, I wasn't sure what they were at first, but it looks like they might be Red Huckleberries (if I am wrong please let me know!). When I’ve visited my family in Montana I've tried the huckleberries down there where they looked more like blueberries, I didn't know they could be red! They are a part of the genus Vaccinium, more specifically called Vaccinium parvifolium, and can be found along the Pacific coast, from southeast Alaska to central California. It is a staple food for many birds and mammals, including bears, raccoons, deers, mountain goats, elk, and more. Many eat the bears, but also the twigs and foliage are important for browsing for deer, mountain goats, and elk (“Red Huckleberry, Vaccinium parvifolium”).
Red huckleberries can be picked and made into jam to be eaten, or eaten right off the shrub. However, they have also been eaten by many coastal First Nations peoples. They would eat it fresh, mashed, dried, and even bake them into cakes for winter use. It was also said sometimes a wooden comb are used to rake the berries off the branches. Some communities, like the Kwakwaka’wakw, boil the berries with salmon spawn in cedar boxes, then seal the top of the boxes with a type of fish and skunk cabbage, preserving the berries for many months. The leaves and bark could be used by infusing it in water and then drinking it to soothe a sore throat (“Red Huckleberry”). The leaves and stems could also be chopped up and used to treat gout (“Planet Alaska: Red huckleberries: Food for songbirds”). These berries, like others, can be used by both animals and humans for food, and even medicine to help when a person gets sick.
Faith Prescott , Vivian. “Planet Alaska: Red Huckleberries: Food for Songbirds.” Juneau Empire, 31 Oct. 2019, www.juneauempire.com/news/planet-alaska-red-huckleberries-food-for-songbirds/#:~:text=Indigenous%20peoples%20in%20the%20Pacific,and%20used%20to%20treat%20gout.
“Red Huckleberry, Vaccinium Parvifolium.” Native Plants PNW, 8 Feb. 2016, nativeplantspnw.com/red-huckleberry-vaccinium-parvifolium/.
“Red Huckleberry.” Sierra Club BC, 9 Feb. 2024, sierraclub.bc.ca/red-huckleberry/#:~:text=TRADITIONAL%20USES%20BY%20INDIGENOUS%20PEOPLES&text=Gargle%20infusion%20of%20leaves%20and,made%20into%20a%20dietary%20supplement.