3 Reasons You’ll Enjoy the Unique Chichiquelite Huckleberry

The Chichiquelite huckleberry is unique in that the plants produce berries from seed in just five months! The small berries are very sweet and flavorful, in our opinion resembling a cross between a blueberry and a cherry tomato.

They are a relative of the more common, but less tasty, garden huckleberry. As part of the nightshade family, chichiquelite huckleberries are also more distantly related to tomatoes and peppers. 

We’ve been growing chichiquelite berries for several years and will always include some in our gardens!

Chichiquelite Huckleberry

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There seems to be a lot of confusion on the internet about the different types of garden huckleberries. They are not related to blueberries or regular huckleberries, and though they look similar, have a very different flavor

The more common garden huckleberry is larger but tastes bland and flavorless when raw. In fact, it is not recommended for eating raw at all. 

The chichiquelite berry is smaller and tastes sweet and flavorful, even raw. The ripe, blackberries are safe to eat either raw or cooked. 

Unfortunately, even some of the seed companies mix up these two different “berries”. The best way to know which you are getting is to read the description. If the berries are described as bland and flavorless before cooking, it is probably regular garden huckleberry, not the kind of chichiquelite berry I am talking about.

You can find the kind of Chichiquelite Huckleberry I am talking about here at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Another type of garden huckleberry is the Wonderberry, which is similar to the Chichiquelite, but a little smaller.

3 Reasons to Grow Chichiquelite Berries

1. It’s one of the fastest maturing fruits you can grow. Started indoors at the same time as tomatoes, the plants will start producing mid summer.
2. Chichiquelite berries are one of the best tasting garden berries. They’re bursting with sweet flavor, not like the bland garden huckleberry.
3. Chichiquelite berries can be eaten raw or cooked. They are great for snacking straight off the plant, or can also be used for pies or preserves.

How to Grow Chichiquelite Huckleberry

Chichiquelite berry should be started indoors at the same time you start tomatoes in your area. It can be slower to germinate and starts growing very slowly, usually not taking off in growth until it’s transplanted.

Transplant the small plants out about 3 weeks after your average last frost date. They can be grown in full sun or partial shade. The plants are not frost hardy.

Chichiquelite plants have many branches, making them hard to stake. You can grow them in a tomato cage, or just leave them to bush out and do their own thing!

The plants typically reach 24-36” in height and require similar growing conditions to tomatoes and peppers. They are tough, and will still produce even with limited care and limited irrigation.

Harvesting Chichiquelite Berries

Chichiquelite huckleberries should not be eaten green. Pick 1-2 weeks after the berries turn to black. Ripe berries should easily come off the plant into your hand. If you give the berry a tug, and it doesn’t come off the plant, it probably isn’t ripe yet. Try again in a few days!

We like to snack on our chichiquelite berries straight off the plant, and they rarely make it in the house! If you have enough, they can be frozen for smoothies, used for pies, or made into jam or preserves.

We hope you enjoy this unique “berry” as much as we have!