Are you ready for the 2011 HUCKLEBERRY SEASON?
- early forecasts after the heavy snows predict a FANTASTIC crop!

How to drop up to 11 TIMES as many
 HUCKLEBERRIES into your bucket -
with FEWER gas guzzling trips
into the woods !

SECRET TOOL MAKES HUCKLEBERRY PICKING A SLAM DUNK!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER PICKERS NOW!

(MANY APOLGIES -- WE ARE OUT OF STOCK FOR 2011!
Please try to order from our retail vendors
from the RETAIL OUTLETS link below...
we know that Blast OFF! in Idaho Falls, Idaho will ship.
See you again in 2012!)

(But check out our list of RETAIL OUTLETS first!)

I am going to share this closely guarded little secret, one that commercial wild huckleberry pickers have known for decades:

THE HUCKLEBERRY  "PICKER"

-- a very simple tool, will turn wild berry picking
-- especially HUCKLEBERRY picking --
into fun,  instead of drudgery!

 Imagine:

• After a COUPLE MINUTES, you can lightly shake your huckleberry picker and see a FULL cup of berries in the bottom of the "well" ... try to do that picking by hand!
• Pick for a typical three- or four-hour huckleberry session, and deliver enough huckleberries to your freezer for a FULL YEAR of jam, a pie, flajacks and ice cream ... without rationing (like we huckleberry hounds typically do)!
• Enjoy NEW HUCKLEBERRY RECIPES -- since you will have more huckleberries to play with!
• Bragging rights for your new status as a MASTER huckleberry picker! ("Where did you find ALL THOSE HUCKLEBERRIES?!", he or she will ask, as you swagger!) 
• Save money on GAS, with fewer trips to the woods (not to mention, less wear and tear on your tires and vehicle)!
• The possibility of making some extra spending money, selling extra huckleberries at farmers markets; or to neighbors, restaurants, and processors.
• Save money on Christmas gifts (everybody likes huckleberry goodies)! But of course, you won't give them away... you'll make the mistake of tasting, before wrapping. And keep them for yourself!  
• More time to pursue your favorite outdoor or indoor hobbies!
• Fewer "fumble fingers"... if you drop a lot of berries while handpicking, OR if your digit dexterity is no longer what it once was, or if you (or someone you love) is getting arthritic... a picker is a great way to level the playing field!
• Works on other ROUND berry species. I've tried the rakes on blueberries, elderberries, and service berries (also called Saskatoon, sarvice, June, or prairie berries). And I've gotten very postive feedback about using them for cranberries and pie cherries, and moderately positive feedback for blueberries. The rake is certainly OPTIMIZED for wild huckleberry species. But with some practice, the tool will work on most other roundies, with a little more work, and not quite as much advantage. For example, most blueberries tend to hang in clumps... makes them just a bit harder to keep some from popping out of any kind of picker (and easier to pick by hand, than huckleberries) plus there is often a large percentage of green berries... so waiting until most of the fruits are ripe is important. With elderberries, not only are the berries in clumps, but the bushes tend to be VERY tall, so the biggest problem is raking over your head... with berries flying everywhere. Takes a little practice to make these effective. As I write this, a guy in Canada is trying both models out on large patches of Saskatoons, and I will report back when I hear what he discovers. Please let me know of any successes or failures you experience with other species... regardless, these do a FANTASTIC job with common huckleberry species found in Idaho, Montana, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alberta. I hear the pickers work equally well with eastern huckleberries. We are also selling lots of them to England. And to states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, the Virginia's, and even NEBRASKA (???) without getting any back, so somebody must be using these pickers successfully on different species.
• Jump now and TAKE ADVANTAGE of what is shaping up to be (a very late, but)
  bumper crop of huckleberries in 2011... Conditions are VERY similar to 2008, which was perhaps the best since 1994, the previous fantastic crop year. (2009 turned out to be even better, but I don't expect something quite that good... although it should be in certain areas. By contrast, 2010 was one of the WORST seasons I've ever seen.) Early reports indicate LOTS OF berries in the high country. Everything will be late this year (up to a month), due to the extremely long, cold, wet spring, but I expect high yields in the lower and mid-elevations. Extremely high elevations may never ripen this year... but if they do, will be AT LEAST a month later then normal.
  
  HELP! I JUST WANT TO ORDER A HUCKLEBERRY PICKER!! 

Now, what do serious "huckleberry hounds" say about The Huckleberry Picker?

Disclaimer: Roy is an experienced huckleberry picker. Your personal results
may vary depending upon level of frustration tolerance, current medications,
mosquito population, and whether you remembered toilet paper!
(I know I am not very funny, but I try sooo hard!)

Huckleberry Picker Field Testing!

In 2008, we went out and purchased EVERY huckleberry or blueberry "picker" model we could find. And when huckleberry season rolled around, we went out and field tested all nine.

Some were heavy. Some were light. Some were works of rustic, backcountry art... tributes to the handiwork skills of rural craftspeople. Some were DANGEROUS -- pointy tines, that could impale someone - seriously! Some were made from "parts" that are no longer available. Some came in one color or finish, while others came painted in choice of yellow, purple, or green. In aggregate, they ranged in price from $25 to $65 -- most were in the $40 to $50 range... plus shipping and handling.

And believe it or not, one of the more interesting huckleberry pickers was not even available online! You had to mail them a check, and two or three weeks later, there it came. I had no doubt those people were honest, but doggone... best to order early!

Most pickers WERE for sale online... but for three of these "web site" models ... no shopping cart! They did not take credit cards -- online OR offline! Again, you called and left a message, waited for a call-back, waited again for another call-back with the shipping amount, mailed a check, and a week to ten days later, your picking tool arrived.

If you ever shopped online for a huckleberry picker, prior to today, you probably know what I am talking about!

Anyway, after our field trials, we took each picker and played around with wrist action, weight, raking efficiency, and safety. We finally came up with two models that were CLEARLY superior.

One is the model we are offering for sale from the links on this page. The other, actually, is no longer for sale -- and has not been for some time. We only knew about it because a friend of mine, who is a serial huckleberry plunderer, had a couple of these picking tools in his bag of huckleberry tricks, and loaned me one for the field trials.

Apparently, this other design was sold for several years by an older gentleman in Spokane, Washington, at farmers markets and similar venues. The tines were make of thin welding rods, perfectly spaced, and the "well" was made from a square, aluminum, recycled, Hormel ham can... if you are old enough to remember those.

(If anyone knows who this person was, please send contact information our direction, as I would like to meet him, and shake his hand, if he is still with us.)

OK, the Field Trials Convinced Me... Let's BOOGIE to the ORDER FORM!

And now, the descriptive moment you've been waiting for! (Please imagine hearing a drum roll, as I do not know enough about online technology to make a drum roll audio sound happen on a web page.)

 THE HUCKLEBERRY PICKING SOLUTION!

We went out and found the manufacturer of our winning entry, purchased a large volume of inventory (several pallet loads at a time), and are making that model available for your huckleberry picking enjoyment. (Actually, we now offer two versions of this model... the one with metal wire tines, pictured above, and an otherwise identical model with durable - and stiffly pliable - plastic tines.)

Let's go over why this huckleberry picker model BEAT OUT the rest of the competition, hands down!:

• With an extremely light weight of 14.1 ounces (only 10.6 ounces for the plastic tine version), the average person could pick for hours with no or little wrist soreness. Tied for lightest weight, due to construction materials and design, of all the rakes. (And actually, the new plastic tine version IS the lightest of all the models tested!)
• The handle just feels ... PERFECT! I don't know how else to say it. ALL of the other models used a standard type of handle you might find in a hardware store... this one just FITS your hand, comfortably, regardless of the size of your hand.
• ERGONOMIC DESIGN... you know, I am not completely sure what that means. But if you play with this tool, in the first two seconds, you know this product was MADE to encourage your wrist to make short, soft, but crisp strokes. The picker sways backward and forward naturally, as your wrist rolls gently back and forth!
• Several of the huckleberry pickers did not offer much of a "well" or reservoir -- used for holding huckleberries inside the picker, until you dump the load into a larger container. For others (including one model, where a coffee can was the primary foundation), the well was WAY too big to be practical. Huckleberries add a lot of weight - about 4 or 5 ounces per cup - and really slow down your wrist motion as the rake fills. This is the "Goldilocks" feature of THE huckleberry picker we offer you... the reservoir size is "Just Right!" After 2 to 4 cups of huckleberries (which doubles the weight of the tool in your hand), you are "full" and need to invert and pour into your larger "holding" container. (And as a bonus to your purchase, we will recommend a specific type of field container perfectly designed for dumping huckleberries into! You will find the info on a web site, listed on the side of your rake, when it arrives!) 

STILL MORE 'HUCKLEBERRY PICKER' FEATURES!

• As you may have asked yourself by now... what happens to the berries already IN your huckleberry tool reservoir, when you are raking back and forth? Do the berries roll back out? Again, some of the pickers DO, and some do NOT, offer an "anti-backwash" feature. Usually this is a "mini-wall" located just behind the tines, coming half-way up the opening, and angled back to allow huckleberries to roll in... but not out. And of course, THE huckleberry pickers featured on this page, offer that cool feature.
• Pricing! A big relief...this was the LEAST EXPENSIVE model, of all the huckleberry pickers we tested. Makes our job SOOOO much easier, if we can save you money, along with the superior design!
• The wire tines (or teeth) are PERFECTLY spaced for huckleberries, on the winning model. AND with rounded points on the tines, this was the SAFEST of all the huckleberry picker designs we tested. By far! Some of the other good designs used small diameter welding rods, which, while not dangerous, still required a little caution. Others had long, sharpened steel points... nasty!

• One feature the winning picker had, that NO OTHER PICKING TOOL came with, was an underside of well spaced wires (part of the tine design), to keep huckleberries in -- and let the leaves fall out. You do collect a fair amount of leaves using a huckleberry rake (but fewer as you gain experience). With the open bottom feature, you can "shake the rake" (hey, I'm a poet!... although not a very good one) and let leaves fall out... you won't get them all out, but it helps!

• The alternative version, with the plastic tines, does not offer as much open space on the underside of the rake, so is not effective for shaking out leaves. However, it does offer a slight advantage if you are picking berry species of smaller size... I understand this is an issue in places like Wyoming, and for southeastern Idaho near the Utah border. And, at 10.6 ounces, this model is a whopping 3.5 ounces (24.8%) lighter than even the already low weight wire model... great for young-uns, the light of wrist, and for LONG picking days. We tested this version in our original field testing in 2007, and could detect no difference in performance, compared to the metal wire tine version. (PS that is NO DIFFERENCE for picking huckleberries... our blueberry customers tell us the wire ones work much better.) And we are told by a customer this model is dishwasher safe, as well! (Thanks to Austin Morse, of Whitefish, Montana, for passing along that little tidbit!... Austin, did you like the huckleberry coffee I sent as a thank you?) 
• Just one more note on the difference between the metal wire and stiff plastic tines... I actually prefer the "feel" of the picker with plastic tines while raking just slightly over the wire tine model. And since the plastic is slightly more forgiving, if you are raking with a light touch (and I hope you are) it seems to be a bit easier to back out, away from leaves, if you start to snag up. Of course, the more pliable plastic teeth are just a bit more likely to fling a berry over the top of the tool... definitely annoying. The wire model does feel a bit more sturdy... two good choices, many people get one of each, and develop a preference over time.

So, we bring you THE PERFECT PICKER, eh?

Not so fast! We must be honest. One feature that some of the other picking tools came with, was a "shield" built above the front opening of the reservoir, just in front of the handle. Sometimes when you rake, those doggone little round berries will pop into the air a bit (as I mentioned a paragraph or two back, with the plastic tine picker), and fly right over the top of your picker. Annoying as all get out! The air can turn blue very quickly(;-).

Our model does not offer this shielding feature, we apologize. For the test models that did offer a shield, most of those wayward huckleberries would hit the shield, and roll down into the well. Since our model does not come with a shield, it does behoove you to rake with the picker a bit more slowly... which is a GOOD THING. You are even less likely to damage the huckleberry bush!

(But, if you want one of those four-pound coffee-can picking rakes - WITH a shield - that will hold a whoppin' four pounds of huckleberries, contact us and we will send you their direction. But get out your checkbook -- kinda pricey! And if you can handle that rake for three hours of picking, remind me to NOT shake your hand...)

So, this picker wins. But it's not perfect, nothing is. But we are absolutely SURE we discovered, and are making available to you, the BEST huckleberry picking solution on planet earth (not even counting the favorable pricing)... or we will cheerfully refund your money, no questions asked!

ENOUGH ALREADY, SHOW ME THE SHOPPING CART!

What Do Past Customers Say About the HUCKLEBERRY PICKER?

The HUCKLEBERRY PICKER special offer -- here is what you get: 

PRICING:
At $24.95 per picker ($17.95 for the plastic tine model), you are getting the lowest price huckleberry picking tool among the nine we tested. That's about what a HALF GALLON of huckleberries costs, during picking season... IF you can find any to buy! You will easily recover the cost of your rake in the FIRST HOUR OF PICKING... even if you are a newbie!

SHIPPING METHOD:
We ship via Priority Mail (PS Make sure your shipping address is your US Postal Service address when you order), and shipments usually go out within one business day, guaranteed during huckleberry season, so your pickers are in your hand quickly. Priority Mail from our location in North Central Idaho, is tyically one day to Idaho locations north of Riggins, and to eastern Washington state. Two days to southern Idaho, Montana, Oregon, western Washington, and actually much of the US. Sometimes three days to East coast locations, and three days at least to Alaska and Hawaii (we have sold rakes to both states!) Of course, add a day to all of these estimates to be safe... sometimes a rake takes three days to get to the southern end of our state... sigh. Shipments to Canada can take a week or more, and to England up to two weeks.

(Shipments to Idaho addresses... do not forget 6% sales tax will be added to the total before shipping; the governor gets cranky if we don't collect.)

Flat Rate SHIPPING COSTS:

We charge FLAT RATE $6.95 to Idaho and neighboring states of Montana, Washington, and Oregon, whether you buy one or a dozen. For longer distances, the shipping fee rises in proportion to distance, to a maximum of $13.95. (Sorry, the Post Office charges more for longer distances, so we adjusted for that!)

SO, since we don't charge any more for additional pickers, outfit your spouse or even the entire family, along with your camping, fishing, or hunting buddies. Often we get a bunch of folks who make a purchase together to save on shipping.

Or buy extra pickers and introduce newbies to the art and sport of huckleberry picking! (HAH! Almost as good as snipe hunting!)

(PS Shipping is $25 to Canada, $35 to England... three pickers max per shipment for this rate. Paperwork gets voluminous, and customs fees go way up, on international shipments over four pounds.)

AND, for a limited time, we are offering the following bonuses:

• A free report on how to use your huckleberry pickers for MAXIMUM efficiency. Get the most berries, with the fewest leaves, and avoid newbie mistakes that might damage a huckleberry plant. Found at the web site URL mentioned on the side of your huckleberry picker when it arrives.
• My own personal tip sheet, based on years of huckleberry picking, for other tools and materials you want to take along when chasing wild huckleberries. Plus the "care and feeding" of your valuable huckleberries for highest quality and even "ease of use", throughout the year! Also available online, at the same web site as the FREE REPORT, above.
• Short demonstrations videos of a seasoned huckleberry picker from Clark Fork, Idaho, using a huckleberry picking rake for the VERY FIRST TIME! (Yup, same web site as above).
• Every year, we also offer a discount on huckleberry specialty products from our three gourmet food web sites, to all huckleberry rake customers... stay tuned!
• A FREE huckleberry or cherry lip balm (one for each rake!) with our compliments, to protect your lips while out picking in the hot dry weather! (Or, it makes a great gift for your spouse... aren't you the thoughtful one!)

PLUS: Our absolute, no wiggle room, unconditional,
swear with our hand on a huckleberry cookbook,
IRON-CLAD guarantee:

When your huckleberry pickers arrive, read our tip sheet and free report, watch the demo videos, and go out and give it a whirl! If you do not feel you paid for the rake, TIMES TWO, with the EXTRA huckleberries you picked on your first outing, send it back, and we will immediately refund your original investment (including shipping!). AND, to partly compensate you for any inconvenience, we will send you a huckleberry coffee, good for one full pot, with our compliments! (Or if you'd rather, and are not a coffee drinker, another huckleberry lip balm -- or wild cherry, if we've run out of the huckleberry balms!)

PS We used to brag that among hundreds of customers, we had YET to get EVEN ONE refund request on our unconditional guarantee! (Note that is not a challenge...;-) However, all good things come to and end. In June 2009 someone from Texas actually did send back their pickers ... in mint condition, at which time we cheerfully refunded their original invoice in full. They tried them on blueberries, which ripen in clumps, and felt they got too many green berries, so went back to hand picking. This is always a problem when using a picker... you need to wait until most of the little fruits are ripe, as the tines do not discriminate based on color. In July of 2009, we also got an order back from eastern Idaho, a gentleman with fast fingers who simply preferred picking berries by hand, and was in no hurry to fill his buckets. Again, the credit card charge was immediately reversed in full. (And both got to keep their lip balms, but turned down our kind offer of a thank you gift of huckleberry coffee just for trying the rakes -- neither customer drank coffee - go figure!!!... although one did accept another lip balm by mail!) Also in 2009, we got back two rakes from Montana... no explanation... looks like they got plenty of use however (hmmm). But we were prompt to refund.

But now that we are nearing 2000 happy online customers since we started in July of 2008, three refunds is pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!

Much more often, fortunately, people order one tool to start, then after field testing come back for additional pickers for a spouse, extended family, friends, social groups -- a church group even ordered a full case!

During our first year offering these specialty instruments, we found they are VERY popular as holiday and birthday gifts! If there is a huckleberry fanatic on your gift list, consider something out of the ordinary, with tremendous utilitarian value. WE DROP SHIP DIRECT TO YOUR GIFT RECIPIENT FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE! (And even throw in a gift card, at your request!)

WHEN SENDING A PICKER AS A GIFT, just remember to put YOUR name and credit card statement address in the BILLING address section, and your lucky gift recipient's postal address in the SHIPPING address section. Also, remember - a free gift card will be included at your request... just fill out the message you want on the card, in the comments or special instructions section, with a TO: and FROM:, and we will do the rest! (Fortunately, my wife's handwriting is better than mine... DO NOT BE ALARMED!)

HUCKLEBERRY SEASON IS HERE! ACT NOW!

Huckleberry season is upon us! With the HUGE snow pack, we expect a fantastic huckleberry crop in 2011, make your trips to the wood more productive, as the thicker the berries, the greater the advantage of using a huckleberry picker. Cick on the link above to order now! We think we brought in enough pickers to cover demand. BUT wholesale sales to retailes are way ahead of our original forecast... last year we ran out for three weeks during the peak of the season. Supplies ARE limited!

TO YOUR HUCKLEBERRY PICKING SUCCESS!

Malcolm & Sandy
Gourmet Innovations LLC

• Tastes of Idaho
  Idaho Redneck Gifts
  Gold Mountain Gourmet 

PS SPECIAL BONUS! We now offer a FREE membership on the newly formed International WILD HUCKLEBERRY Association blog! Share recipes, and photos of your huckleberries and huckleberry picking adventures. Get reviews of huckleberry cookbooks, and discounts on gourmet huckleberry goodies and jam making supplies... even discover secrets about the history and ecology of huckleberries (unknown facts that may help you find more huckleberries on your next outing!) Also, articles with tips and tactics on cleaning, and making huckleberry jam and syrup. Even discover the secret of how to GROW huckleberries (yes, it CAN be done) -- the University of Idaho perfected this technique years ago, and offers a short publication on this secret!

Click NOW on the Link below, to order your HUCKLEBERRY PICKERS!

SEND ME MY HUCKLEBERRY PICKER! MY TASTEBUDS ARE TINGLING,
(and my eyes are sore from all this reading)!