When I was little I spent quite a few summers in Montana, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. My grandpa used to spend half of the year in Montana, and the other half of the year here in Orange County. He was a doctor, he can do this kinda stuff.

They built the Montana house, gosh, about 40 years ago. My dad was a kid when it was being built. He and his siblings would spend their summers in Montana having the time of their life while grandpa and his friend Mel poured their sweat, blood, and tears into that house. They have the best stories about all the adventures they had during those summers. Like the time grandpa let the kids (4 of them) ride in a u-haul trailer (at the kids request of course) and whipped the trailer around the windy loging roads as they flew from side to side. Ya, probably not the best idea, but they all lived to tell about it, so it’s cool.

I remember one summer up there when I was little and grandpa made fried spam with mustard and brown sugar. Disgusting, right? NOPE. I would gobble that stuff up now because it has such a good memeory attached to it. Poor gramps can’t eat it anymore though. The poor guy is getting pretty old and has heart problems AND diabetes. Skinny as all get out. But the stress of being an anestesiologist caught up with him. Funny how stress and lack of sleep can be HUGE factors in causing disease later in life. Well, not really funny, more like ironic.

I learned to drive on those same loging roads that my grandpa towed the kids around, which is sorta cool. I learned to drive on the exact same road my dad did! Not to many people can say that. It was the summer I was 15. Grandpa had an old beat up pick up truck and he put me in the driver seat, and off we went through the loging roads. I was scared to death that I would take us right over one of those cliffs and we would plunge to our death in a firey mess. But grandpa has balls of steal and wouldn’t have it any other way. Seriously, the man had no fear. Or if he did, he didn’t let on about it.

Grandpa and his wife would pick wild huckleberries every season in Montana and she would make fresh jam. My absolute favorite thing at the thanskgiving table is Diane’s homemade bread and hucklberry jam. My family knows how much I LOVE huckleberries because I let it be known, every Thanksgiving that there better be some of that jam on the table! The past spring my dad and step mom went to the grand Canyon on a train tour. They brought me home 2 things: hucklberry candies and hucklberry syrup. AWESOME! And every time I go to grandpa’s house, they send me home with huckleberry jam. One time I used it to make ‘Peanut Butter’ and Jelly bars. So Good! And the huckleberry syrup will be put to good use in this hucklberry frozen yogurt!

1 cup non fat greek yogurt
2 cups huckleberry syrup

Puree in a food processor or blender. Chill for an hour, then churn according to ice cream makers instructions. After it churns it will probably need to freeze for a few hours before it is firm enough to eat. At least mine did.

I realize not many, ahh, probably no one has this huckleberry syrup. So how can you make this at home? You can use any berry and add sugar! You would add 2 cups of berries (if using strawberries, chop them) and 1 cup of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice to be pureed. You can add 1 tbsp of vodka or rum to help keep the texture nice and soft when it freezes.

It is so light and refreshing. I ate lots of this!!!!