This article is from Montana Free Press. Excerpted from an article written by Mara Silvers.
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Cranberries, the accent fruit traditionally used to contrast savory poultry or stuffing, aren’t very easy to produce in Montana because of its dry climate. But other berries are bountiful and ready to use in jams, syrups, sauces or baked inside pies for Thanksgiving.
Catherine McNeil, the former president of the Montana Berry Growers Association and the operator of Apple Bar Orchard near Helena, is particularly fond of haskaps. The oblong, dusty blue berries are also known as honeyberries. But McNeil said many Montanans don’t know about them, or how versatile they can be in cooking and baking.
“Some people have used [haskaps] with pork,” she said. “I’ve used them with meatballs. … I’ve never tried them with poultry; that’s not saying I wouldn’t. For sure, I think they would go great.”
McNeil also pointed to Township Road Farm in Worden, just northeast of Billings, as another berry grower offering a range of products, including elderberries, currants and chokecherries, that could enhance Thanksgiving meals.