autumn olives

[smokelessfire]

anyone familiar with autumn olives? they could make a superp survival food. they are all over america's highways. there are gazillions of them. ladybird johnson, wife of former pres. lyndon b. johnson, instituted a program to import them here and have them planted along the highways for beautification, and to serve as a wind/sound block, so rows of them were planted. they are easily identified, having daggerlike leaves, of which the underside is a bright reflective silver color. small yellow flowers, but most importantly, small deep red berries with tiny white or silvery speckles. taste sooo good, like raspberries, and have a good size seed. since they are smallish with a large seed, most people make jams out of them. i eat em raw. slightly frozen, covered with frost in november is like having nature's popcicles...ummmmmgood!!

[smokelessfire]

also, juniper berries are edible and nutritious, albeit a little strong to take. the indians claim they are the greatest flu fighter known. in winter i eat a few each day as preventative medicine. fancy restaurants use them roasted and ground into powder as a seasoning on their steaks.