Huckleberry Madness III

Now the picking is done and you can sit back and revel over your lovely jug of berries. I am always struck by the fragrance. It seems to waft up and swirl around your head like a warm sweet cloud. There is nothing else on earth like the smell of freshly harvested huckleberries.....When I get home I get out my gallon size Ziploc bags, look the berries over for sticks and leaves. Never wash your huckleberries, just pour them into your freezer bag, gently squeeze out the air and seal it up! Now, the madness....what exactly is it? Well, my confession is, that I horde my huckleberries. Sad, but true. I could never have enough huckleberries in my freezer, worse yet....I'm stingy! Each time I use any of my berries, I worry about how many I have left. What if I run out??? Lately, I have been really trying to over come this nasty tendency. Christmas before last I made copies of my favorite huckleberry pie recipe, bagged up enough berries for each of my friends at work and gave them this as a holiday gift. It was excruciating at first, then I felt a real sense of giving. Everyone loved the idea and was able to share a rare treat with family and friends during their own Christmas dinner. I didn't do that this last year, even though I have twice as many huckleberries in the freezer....One step at a time I guess.