A little history and information of Autumn Olives, a tasty little fruit we use to make our lovely Autumn Olive Wine.

Hi everyone!  It is that time of year, when we go out to pick the ripe fall grapes and Autumn Olives for our wine making endeavors.  Now I can imagine you all are saying, "What is an Autumn Olive?"  Hey, I didn't really know either, but after a bit of research, I have gathered a bit of information on this fantastic wine making fruit.

The Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)... commonly called Autumnberries or Japanese Silverberry, is a decidious shrub, native to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to eastern Japan.  They are classified as an "invasive species" because they spread rapidly and are very difficult to eradicate should you want to get rid of one in your yard.  They are banned in several states due to their invasiveness.  However, they were frequently used to help reclaim land used forstrip mining of coal (here in Southeastern Kentucky we have tons of them) and the mining of other natural resources.  If you are lucky enough to have the plants near you, you can use the fruit, which have been found to have 7 to 17 times the lycopene as tomatoes and possibly contain cancer fighting properties, for delicious jellies and extremely tasty homemade wine.  Which is exactly what we plan to do after we acquire the required 18 to 20 lbs. of these red beauties. 

When ripe, the Autumn Olive is juicy with a sweet tart taste.  I seem to always taste cherry on the finish.  But that is just me.  The fruit is relatively easy to pick,  you just have to watch out for little thorns sometimes hiding among the fruits and leaves.  Below you will find what the Autumn Olives here look like.




Autumn Olive Berries on the tree shown here by Mark McKnight.  Photo by Jessica L. Gill copyright 2010


They grow in bunches and are either bright or dark red, or on occasion, a dark orange color with very very small silvery brown dots.  They contain a chewable seed, but I never eat the seeds.  Nothing is wrong with them, I just don't like them.  But the wine that these berries produce is simply delicious.  We often add a bit of cherry fruit to accentuate the sweet/tart taste and enhance the blush color.

While there is much debate on the invasive qualities of this shrub, and much research being done on its value as a potential cancer fighting fruit, we are just as happy to pick it in the cool fall weather and produce our Autumn Olive Wine, which in itself, is good for you, in moderation.  There is just something calming and pleasing about going out, testing the berries for taste, and spending an afternoon with Mark, picking the berries and talking about how we are going to make the wine, and possibly some jellies.  It is our "Together" hobby and we truly enjoy the time we spend together doing this.   I do hope that  you will check back soon to see the wine making process with these delicious fruits.  And soon, the Fall Grape information post will be up.

Hoping you all have a great day!