Huckleberries are local, seasonal and free -- for your pancakes, scones and jams.

Huckleberry season is upon us, with the first wave of berries approaching maturity in many sunny places all over the region. Huckleberries may be Montana’s signature berries, but they’re around to be found by eagle-eyed foragers in Monterey County, too.

The season will last until October, says Jim Affinito, born and raised in Pacific Grove, who “makes his mouth purple” and “collects as many as he can” every year.

Native to the western United States, huckleberries tend to favor forest and mountain slopes. They are a sort of cousin to the blueberries found in New England and yet many people who spot them are intrigued but not sure what to do next. The first question is: How do they taste? I think about them as a smaller, slightly wilder version of blueberries that also brings to the table the tanginess of wildberry. Food Lover’s Companion defines this berry lilliput as a “wild blue-black berry.” It also educates that the berry has 10 small, hard seeds in the center that taste similar to a pomegranate. Astringent is the word.

Because huckleberries are so small, it takes patience to pick them in large quantities. I ended up with a bowl full after spending a couple of hours in the forest, listening to an audiobook. It took forever. For some, though, this is part of the charm.

“I like that about them,” Affinito says. “It makes them somehow more precious. They have this wild feeling to them.”

If you want a huckleberry pancake you probably need a handful of berries; if you are going for muffins or scones you’ll need perhaps two handfuls. Because wild huckleberries are smaller than domesticated berries and less watery, they behave much better in a pancake, not to mention that you can use more without over-berrying your pancake. The same logic can be applied to cookies – replace your favorite chocolate chips with the berries, or maybe combine both.

“I do everything with them,” Affinito says. “I even named my cat after them. She’s black and when I got her she was tiny and feral. She looked like a tiny little huckleberry. Anyway, anything you can do with a berry, you can do with a huckleberry.” His default is huckleberry jam, which he gives away yearly as a holiday gift.

Affinito isn’t the only devoted local forager.

“All year long my 5-year-old looks forward to picking blackberries around our neighborhood and huckleberries in the forest,” says Kristin Dotterrer of Monterey. “Kids have such a natural inclination to pick berries and it’s an activity that creates a meaningful connection to the place and the natural ecosystem.”

Her family eats them right off the bush. “We sometimes pick enough to freeze them and then we can eat them throughout the year by themselves, or mix into oatmeal or yogurt,’’ she says. “To me, they taste tart and even a little bit savory – full of local flavor and nothing like super-sweet, store-bought berries.”

Dotterrer says huckleberries are important to the cultural and environmental history of the Monterey Peninsula as evidenced by the fact that there’s a “Huckleberry Hill” in both Pebble Beach and Monterey.

“People of older generations have great stories about walking from their houses into the hills to pick huckleberries as children,” she says.

Dotterrer emphasizes safety when berry hunting. “Make sure you and your kids know how to recognize poison oak, which can sometimes grow intertwined or nearby huckleberry bushes,” she says. “Also, check for ticks afterward.”

Additionally, it is important to note that foraging is restricted in many jurisdictions, including California state parks and county parks, as well as wilderness areas. Municipalities may have specific restrictions as well, so be aware before you start picking. Once you’ve verified that foraging is allowed in your chosen location, remember to forage lightly to avoid depleting natural resources.

For those who don’t want to pick berries, but like to learn: In archaic American English slang, the phrase “a huckleberry over my persimmon” was supposed to mean “a bit beyond my abilities.” Also, “I’m your huckleberry” is a way of saying that someone is just the right person for a given task.