Are you ready for HUCKLEBERRY SEASON in 2010?

How to drop up to 11 TIMES as many
HUCKLEBERRIES into your bucket
in the same HOUR-
while making FEWER gas guzzling trips
into the woods !

SECRET TOOL MAKES HUCKLEBERRY PICKING A SLAM DUNK!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER Huckleberry Rakes NOW!
(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:

HUCKLEBERRY "RAKES"

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

 Imagine:

• After a COUPLE MINUTES, you can lightly shake your huckleberry rake and see a FULL cup of berries in the bottom of the "well" ... try to do that picking by hand!
• Stay for a typical three- or four-hour huckleberry picking 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, produce stands, and processors.
• Save money on Christmas gifts (everybody likes huckleberry goodies)! But of course, you may not give them away... you'll make the mistake of tasting, before wrapping. And probably 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 (like I do), OR if your digit dexterity is no longer what it once was, or even 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 pickers on blueberries, elderberries, currants, and service berries (also called Saskatoon, sarvice, June, or prairie berries). This picking tool is certainly OPTIMIZED for wild huckleberry species found in the Pacific Northwest. (And works pretty well on wild currants.) But with some practice, this huckleberry tool will work on other roundies, with 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 in a clump... 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 was raking over your head... with berries flying everywhere. Takes a little practice to make these effective. A guy in Canada is planning to try out both models on large patches of Saskatoons, and I will report back when I hear what he discovers. He just caught the tail end of the 2009 season, and the preliminary feedback was positive. Please let me know of any successes or failures you experience with other species (e.g. cranberries) ... regardless, these tools do a FANTASTIC job with common huckleberry and bilberry species found in Idaho, Montana, California, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alberta. We are also selling lots of them to England, eastern Canadian provinces, and even to states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Jersey, and the Virginia's, without getting any back, so somebody must be using these berry pickers successfully on different species (including and especially eastern huckleberries).

• We enjoyed a bumper crop of huckleberries again in 2009... 2008 was perhaps the best since 1994, the previous fantastic crop year, and 2009 was even better. Winter and spring 2009 conditions were similar to a 2008, but because spring 2009 was warm, and 2008 spring was cool, berries were not quite as late in 2009. (Reports in July, 2009... from multiple Northwest states, came in that berries are a BONKERS HEAVY CROP... huckleberries are "plentiful and BIG"...  One person said "best in over 20 years" in her favorite patch.)

HELP! I JUST WANT TO ORDER ONE O' YER HUCKLEBERRY RAKES!! 

So, what do serious "huckleberry hounds" say about Huckleberry RAKES?

Disclaimer: Roy is an experienced huckleberry picker.
Your personal results with huckleberry rakes 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!)

Below is a brief video clip of Roy using a huckleberry rake near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. As you can see, this is NOT hard work. Although Roy makes it look a little easier than it is, when you are starting out. The video gives you a feel for how to use both hands in tandem to pick most effectively. Towards the end of the clip, you will see a huckleberry branch that gets bound up... Roy just backs it out with his other hand, to avoid stripping the stem of leaves -- which would of course, also end up in your bucket:

Huckleberry Rakes Field Testing!

In 2007, we went out and purchased EVERY huckleberry or blueberry "rake" 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 rakes 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 rakes 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.

One welding company in eastern Washington state, reputed to make huckleberry rakes, never did returned multiple phone calls.

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

Anyway, after our field trials, where we took each picker and played around with wrist action, weight, raking efficiency, and safety, we 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 the 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 around 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 rounded square, aluminum, 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 TOOL SOLUTION!

We went out and found the manufacturer of our winning entry, purchased a large volume of inventory, 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 stiff but pliable, plastic tines.)

Let's go over why our huckleberry rakes 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 use a standard type of handle you might find in a hardware store... but 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 rakes sway backward and forward naturally, as your wrist rolls gently back and forth!
• Several of the huckleberry rakes 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 models 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 RAKE' 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 rakes DO, and some do NOT, offer an "anti-backwash" feature. Usually this is a "mini-wall" located just a little ways behind the front tips of the teeth or tines, and coming half-way across the opening into the well, and angled back to allow huckleberries to roll in... but not out. And of course, THE huckleberry rakes featured on this page, offer that cool feature.
• Pricing! A big relief...this was the LEAST EXPENSIVE model, of all the huckleberry rakes we tested. Makes our job SOOOO much easier, if we can save you money, along with the superior design!
• Rounded tines do the LEAST potential damage to huckleberry bushes! While the plants will drop leaves anyway, within a couple weeks to a couple months, after you pick... no point in ripping the leaves, or scratching the thin bark on the branch tips.
• 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 rake 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 rake had, that NO OTHER PICKING TOOL came with, was an underside of well spaced wires (part of the tine design - see above), 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, at 10.6 ounces, this model is a whopping 3.5 ounces (24.8%) lighter than even the wire model... great for young-uns, those with smaller wrists, and for LONG picking days. We tried out this version in our original field testing in 2007, and could detect no difference in performance, compared to the metal wire tine version. And, we are told by a customer, that the plastic tine model is dishwasher safe, as well! (Thanks to Austin Morse, of Whitefish, Montana, for passing along that little tidbit!... Austin, did you enjoy the huckleberry coffee I sent as a thank you?) 
• Just one more note on the difference between the metal wire versus stiff plastic tines... I actually prefer the "feel" of the rake with plastic tines while raking just slightly over the wire tine model. And since the plastic is slightly more giving, 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. Most people prefer the wire tine rake, but one person ordered one of each, and returned the WIRE rake (and kept the plastic one). So obviously they are both quite functional.

So, we bring you THE PERFECT RAKE, 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, and fly right over the top of your picker. Annoying as all get out! Prepare to turn the air around you a bit blue, as you voice your displeasure!

Our model does not offer this feature, we apologize. For the 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 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 another 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 rake 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 RAKE?

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

PRICING:
At $24.95 per rake ($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 recover the cost of your rake in the FIRST HOUR OR TWO OF PICKING... even if you are a newbie!

SHIPPING METHOD:
We ship via Priority Mail, and shipments usually go out within one business day, guaranteed during huckleberry season, so your rakes 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 three days to most of the US. Sometimes four days or more to East coast locations, and three days at least to Alaska and Hawaii (we have sold rakes to both states!) To be safe, please add a day to these estimates (sometimes it takes the US Postal Service THREE days just to get a rake to the other end of our own state!) But we will always do the best we can! (Additional note, orders of more than four rakes are sometimes sent via UPS...let is know if you have a preference on larger orders!)

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

SHIPPING COSTS:
$7.95 to Idaho and neighboring states of Montana, Washington, and Oregon. To Utah or Wyoming, $9.95. All other states, shipping is $12.95 (sorry, the Post Office charges more for longer distances, so we adjusted for that!)

But (after the first rake) SHIPPING IS FREE on your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th
(or more) rakes (but not on the entire order, sorry) to the same shipping address! Outfit your spouse or even the entire family, along with your camping, fishing, or hunting buddies.

Or 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 rakes max per international shipment. Paperwork gets voluminous, and customs fees go up significantly, 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 rakes for MAXIMUM efficiency. Get the most berries, with the fewest leaves, and avoid newbie mistakes that might damage a huckleberry plant. Find the report at the web site URL mentioned on the side of your huckleberry rake when it arrives.
• My own personal tip sheet, including more photos and videos, based on years of huckleberry picking, for other tools and materials you want to take along when chasing wild huckleberries. I even have video of the best way to clean huckleberries. Plus the "care and feeding" of your valuable huckleberries for highest quality and even "ease of use", while using them in recipes throughout the year! You will find the tip sheet 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! And now, videos of an experienced "huckleberry hound" who's used rakes for YEARS! (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 who provide us with an email address ... stay tuned!
• A FREE huckleberry 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!) Sometimes we add something else too, like a postcard with a huckleberry pie recipe, if we have them in stock.

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

When your huckleberry rake arrives, 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 an end. In June 2009 someone from Texas actually did send back their rakes ... 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 rake or picking device... 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!)

In August, we got back two rakes from Montana, with no explanation, cheerfully refunded in full. And in September, someone from Kalispell, Montana returned a wire tine rake, and kept their plastic tine model (go figure!). We re-imbursed the full price on the metal model, plus half of the shipping. They emailed us a very warm thank you!

Much more often, fortunately, people order one tool to start, then after field testing come back for additional huckleberry rakes for a spouse, extended family, friends, social groups -- and a large family and a church group, both ordered a full case of 12!

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 gifting something out of the ordinary, with tremendous utilitarian value -- a huckleberry rake. WE DROP SHIP DIRECT TO YOUR GIFT RECIPIENT FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE!

WHEN SENDING A RAKE AS A GIFT, just remember to put YOUR name and CREDIT CARD BILLING statement address in the BILLING address section, and your lucky gift recipient's postal address in the SHIPPING address section. Also, 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 ONLY COMES ONCE A YEAR! ACT NOW!

As I update the site, huckleberry season is fast approaching for 2010. The huckleberry crop was sensational in most states in 2008 and even better in 2009! In particular, the earlier, lower elevation berry patches are bonkers with big huckleberries, and LOTS OF THEM. Due to the low snowpack, I am predicting a mediocre crop in 2010... sigh. I will be taking my anti-depressants. But, all the more reason to get a rake, and make those trips to the outdoors more productive. Click on the link above and order now! We think we brought in enough rakes to cover demand. BUT sales to are dealers are way ahead of our original forecast. Last year we ran out for three weeks, during the middle of the season. Supplies ARE limited!

TO YOUR HUCKLEBERRY PICKING SUCCESS!

Malcolm & Sandy Dell, Gourmet Innovations LLC

PS SPECIAL BONUS! For everyone who buys a huckleberry rake online and supplies an email address, 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 (and free!) PDF publication on this secret!

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

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