Comments on: Autumn Olive in Spring

By: Leslie

Leslie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:46:41 +0000

Hi Michelle,
and thanks so much for your comment; consider yourself the recipient of the resourcefulness award – also perhaps another for eloquent description; the E. umbellata promotion board, if it exists, should certainly hire you! Must say I find it fascinating that your tree keeps its berries long enough for you to harvest them – birds take ours even before they’re ripe.
As far as I know, no worries about health; alternate fruit types are all the time pointing out that people eat both kinds of “olive” berries in Russia. The jam sounds delicious. And as you point out, the bears may know something. Wonder if any homemade wine folks have ever experimented…
As for the violets, I don’t know of anything besides the usual edible flowers for salads and throwing a few leaves in with the other wild greens when you’re cooking them. Distantly remember a wine recipe but may be making that up; please let us know if you find one. ( Lilac wine is terrific so maybe violet would be too.)

By: Michelle Becker

Michelle Becker — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:11:13 +0000

Oh, I forgot to ask…any culinary ideas for the invasive violets?

By: Michelle Becker

Michelle Becker — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:08:56 +0000

Don’t tell anyone, but two of the other creatures that eleagnus umbellata feeds are my husband and I. We harvest the berries mid to late October and make the most splendid Autumn Olive Jam; very tangy, fruity and of the most elegant rose color. (I sometimes dress up a pumpkin cheesecake by reheating 1/2 cup of the jam and glazing the cheesecake with it.) When I first encountered this tree I tasted the fruit I was reminded of my aunts’ tree and proclaimed it a chokecherry. A naturopathic doctor friend thought it was Russian Olive and disbelieving me did some research and concluded Autumn Olive. Since the berry didn’t kill me I decided to make jam and for that alone I should win some kind of award as its, honestly, the best tasting jam I’ve ever eaten. I was unaware that other creatures liked it as it seems the trees are always laden with berries and show no sign of browsing. I’ve been told that the winged and furred (bears) creatures wait for the berries to ferment before they indulge (and why not?). We head them off at the pass. We throw a large bedsheet on the ground beneath the branches and then rub like mad to release the berries and then go home and make jam using the proportions/recipe for currant jelly. Sad about the invasiveness. Our local CT watchdogs are on the prowl cutting down our treasured, secret orchards.
PS. No. No health problems so far.