Regulating huckleberries
There's something very funny about the word " huckleberry," and I chuckled appropriately through USA Today's discussion of the new Montana law making it a misdemeanor to label a product "huckleberry" if it contains any other fruit, like maybe blueberries.
But I actually thought the story was more important than its jocular tone suggested.
First, because laws about labeling are valuable. When you own something unique, you don't want imitators diluting your strength. Some people roll their eyes at the notion that "champagne" can't come from anywhere except a certain region of France, but it sure makes a difference to the folks who produce that fine substance. American agriculturalists have spent too long running the other way, embracing any method of producing commodities more cheaply. But the way to make money is to identify your product as not-a-commodity. I'm glad huckleberry producers are protecting their brand.
Second, and in slight opposition to that sentiment, I'm amazed that the picking of wild huckleberries (the darned things won't grow on a farm) is an industry big and organized enough to protect itself this way. And I'm a little bit sad. As I wrote three years ago about the picking of wild mushrooms, there's something wonderfully romantic about manually harvesting mountain treasures. Feels like the frontier.
And every passing of a frontier -- of which, I would argue, huckleberry regulation is a prime example -- deserves its own tiny moment of regret.
I'm always interested in feedback, via comments or info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
But I actually thought the story was more important than its jocular tone suggested.
First, because laws about labeling are valuable. When you own something unique, you don't want imitators diluting your strength. Some people roll their eyes at the notion that "champagne" can't come from anywhere except a certain region of France, but it sure makes a difference to the folks who produce that fine substance. American agriculturalists have spent too long running the other way, embracing any method of producing commodities more cheaply. But the way to make money is to identify your product as not-a-commodity. I'm glad huckleberry producers are protecting their brand.
Second, and in slight opposition to that sentiment, I'm amazed that the picking of wild huckleberries (the darned things won't grow on a farm) is an industry big and organized enough to protect itself this way. And I'm a little bit sad. As I wrote three years ago about the picking of wild mushrooms, there's something wonderfully romantic about manually harvesting mountain treasures. Feels like the frontier.
And every passing of a frontier -- of which, I would argue, huckleberry regulation is a prime example -- deserves its own tiny moment of regret.
I'm always interested in feedback, via comments or info at johnclaytonbooks dot com
