Eating Autumn Olive

Why let those Autumn Olive fruits (Elaeagnus umbellata) go to the birds? If you're thinking of trying to stem the wave of Autumn Olive seedlings in your town, below are a couple of recipes that call for those juicy, red fruits! (Feel free to send samples.) There are even possible cancer-fighting benefits to consuming them, because they contain large quantities of the antioxidant lycopene. For those of you having problems with full-grown trees, the roots make lovely walking sticks.

• Autumn Olive Wine (Really!!)
• Autumn Olive Jam

Update 10/2004: Those of you interested in eating your way out of the invasive plant problem may want to check out "Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten," a book by Russ Cohen. It features chapters about several common invaders, including autumn olive and Japanese knotweed.