Autumn Olive

I remember when my husband told me what this silvery leafed tree on our property was an olive tree.  A couple years later, I was walking with a friend in a park and pointing these trees. She said people come and forage from them. That would be totally neat to forage olives, I thought.

So last Fall, I noticed the berries and took a little nibble.  Oh my!  Sweet and a little tart.  It was a busy year and I didn't actually forage the whole tree, in fact that was the only berry I got.

But this year I saw them in full force and I gathered them to my hearts content.  Not as labor intensive as Elderberry, but they have a big pit, and no they are not like typical olives, they are more like some kind of currant.  

I boiled them with sugar and ran them through a mill to extract the seeds.  I did get a bit of skin, and perhaps in the future I will completely strain everything except the juice.  What a fun find.

It is always fun to forage, and especially fun to discover new foods as an adult.  Don't me afraid to learn about what is growing in your neighborhood.  You never know, you may have the greatest food on the block.