Huckleberry

Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality

Maturity and Quality

Quality Indices

Harvest branches when fully mature, without soft tips. This species is very long lasting with few postharvest problems. Thus, if it looks good at time of purchase it should perform well.

Postharvest Handling and Storage

Optimum Temperature

Huckleberry can be stored for extended periods, by enclosing pre-cooled bunches in a plastic vapor barrier and holding them at temperatures near freezing (0°C).

Responses to Controlled Atmospheres (CA)

Special Considerations

Watch for excessive storage as depicted by fungal growth (fuzziness), and water-soaked or discolored leaves. Their woody stems sometimes make it difficult to re-cut. Re-cutting this species is less critical than for other floral crops.

Disorders

Description

Vaccinium ovatum, Huckleberry is native to the West coast in areas from northern California to British Columbia. Vaccinium is the ancient Latin name for blueberry, and the specific epithet ‘ovatum’ refers to the oval leaf shape of this species.

Authors

Michael S. Reid

Professor Emeritus

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How to Cite

Author(s) names. Initial publication or update date (located at the top). Title. Link to the specific Produce Fact Sheet webpage (Accessed date)

Example: Cantwell, M. and T. Suslow. 2002. Lettuce, Crisphead: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality.

http://ucanr.edu/sites/Postharvest_Technology_Center_/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=19&ds=799 (Accessed January 18, 2014).