Читать книгу The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles. Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods онлайн

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Eventually the branches develop into a bush with fine needle-like leaves. Each asparagus stalk visible in this photo represents one bush. Bushes can be either male or female. Female bushes will have hard red berries with seeds inside. These berries are poisonous to people.

Autumn Olive

RANGE:

Introduced, invasive and widespread through Central and Eastern U.S., Washington, Oregon, Montana, and the province of Ontario

HABITAT:

Woodland edges, abandoned fields, roadbanks, pastures, orchards and recreational lands

POSITIVE ID:

• This is a multi-trunked woody shrub with occasional thorns.

• Leaves are simple, elliptic, smooth to wavy-edged; grayish-green on upper surface, silvery beneath. Each leaf has a short, silvery-gray petiole.

• Flowers are yellowish-white, 4-petaled and tubular.

• Fruit is silver speckled, red and juicy when ripe.

Notice how perfectly plump and round the drupes have become. That's a tip-off that they are probably ripe and ready to harvest. A taste test will soon tell. They should taste tart, and leave no lingering astringency in the mouth.