Omnivore loving vegan, gluten-free & beverage recipes
Life’s Little Sweets celebrates seasonal cooking and local food pathways. Find inspiration from farms, CSAs, and home gardens with recipes that highlight fresh ingredients, community, and the joy of cooking through the seasons. Continue Reading
This recipe infuses the rich, distinct flavor of maple syrup into the classic buttery shortbread, offering a delightful twist on traditional shortbread cookies. Adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of maple syrup to suit your taste preferences.
When the weather gets cooler and those leaves start falling, you know it’s time to cozy up with a hot, delicious bowl of soup! We have a list of yummy, nutritious fall/autumn soups that you can make at home.
It’s time for some cranberry, pumpkin, apples, and everything spiced! Sweater season is here which means we’re hungrier than ever. Want to know what food to cook this Fall? Keep on reading!
This Pumpkin Spice Bread yields 2 generous loaves and can be customized with your favorite toppings and Vanilla Coconut Icing! Bring this favorite to your next holiday gathering! Be sure to check out the other #FoodieMamas pumpkin recipes below!
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Autumn Olive Guide + Recipes - Here is an informational guide on Autumn Olives, a list of recipe ideas & inspiration, and links to Autumn Olive recipes.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Hi Everyone, Are you familiar with Autumn Olives? They are unique, sweet and tart, small, reddish berry that grows wild here in Central New Jersey (and can also be found in NY and PA).
Enjoy this guide, list of recipe ideas & inspiration, and links to blog recipes on this unique, foraged berry!
I link to the foraging guide that I use, Northeast Foraging, in the recipe link card below at the end of the post.
(All the photos in this post are photos of Autumn Olives on our property, taken September 2020)
According to Wikipedia, Autumn Olives are:
"Elaeagnus umbellata is known as Japanese silverberry, umbellata oleaster, autumn olive, autumn elaeagnus, or spreading oleaster. The species is indigenous to eastern Asia and ranges from the Himalayas eastwards to Japan."
The back of the leaves are silvery in color as compared to the green front side of the leaf.
They have a olive-shaped, pointed pit in the center.
They are an invasive species and spread easily and are feasted on by birds and other wild animals. The plant thrives in disturbed soil areas.
Therefore, don't feel bad about harvesting them!
I suggest throwing the pits in the trash or where they can be composted (and will not grow into plants), instead of throwing them back in the woods where they can continue to spread.
No, they are fruit/berries, not olives. The berries are olive-shaped.
They are considered shrubs and can turn into small trees when they get large.
According to Specialtyproduce.com:
"Autumn olives are high in vitamins A, E, and C and are known for their high content of the antioxidant, lycopene."
Autumn Olives taste sweet, tart and slightly astringent.
In Central New Jersey, Autumn Olives begin ripening at the end of August and are ripe at the end of the Summer, in September and through October and into Late Fall, November.
Here is a list of several recipe ideas for Autumn Olives:
With any foraged food, I HIGHLY recommend using a field guide (I link to my favorite one below, Amazon Affiliate Link) and making sure you have a foraging expert verify the plant.
If you have any doubt, wait until you know for sure. There are a lot of wild berries out there and many are poisonous!
I also currently use an app to help with plant identification on our property and beyond; the one I currently use is the "Picture This" app which I use on the iPhone. I always use multiple verifications before consuming any wild/foraged food.
Have you made any recipes with Autumn Olive berries?
Please let me know in the comments at the end of the post.
Thank you for reading and following along!
Here are some Autumn Olive Recipes from other blogs, enjoy the list!
This is the foraging guide that I have, follow and use right now.
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Lois says
I’ve made Autumn Olive Berry Jam. It’s fantastic ..
Sara Maniez says
That's wonderful to hear Lois!