Autumn Olive Fruit Leather
9/22/2025
Today we harvested two gallon bags of autumn olives to turn into some delicious fruit leather! These berries are extra tart this time of year, but they sweeten up after the first frost. Personally, I love picking them now for that bright, tangy flavor. To balance out the tartness, you can add some honey, maple syrup, apples or any other sweetener. I usually go with apples since the flavors pair so well together!”
My favorite recipe below:
Ingredients:
4 cups autumn olive berries (washed, stems removed)
3 medium apples (peeled, cored, chopped)
1 tsp lemon juice (optional: helps preserve color)
Water as needed
Instructions:
Cook the apples in a saucepan, with ½ cup water. Cook over medium heat until soft.
Add the autumn olive berries and continue cooking another 5–10 minutes until the berries burst and release their juice.
Strain seeds (optional but recommended)
Press the mixture through a food mill, fine sieve, or just put all in a blender
Return the puree to the pot.
(If adding honey/sweetner or lemon juice add now.)
Simmer until thickened slightly (about 5–10 minutes).
Prepare for drying:
Line baking sheets or dehydrator trays with parchment paper or silicone sheets.
Spread the puree evenly, about â…›–¼ inch thick.
Dry:
In dehydrator: 135°F for 6–10 hours, until no longer sticky.
In oven: Set to lowest temperature (usually 170–200°F). Prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon for airflow. Bake 4–6 hours, checking often, until leathery but pliable.
ENJOY!
What you need:
1tsp tumeric
3-4 tablespoons rubbing alcohol
Watercolor paper
Paint brushes
Plexiglass crafting sheets
Leaves, shells or other objects
Baking soda mixed and water solution
Mix tumeric and rubbing alcohol together. Paint the whole paper with the tumeric solution. Place leaves or other objects over the painted paper. Cover with the plexiglass and set in the sun for about an hour.
After an hour remove all the leaves and plexiglass sheet and put the whole paper into a solution of baking soda and water! Hang to dry!
Sun Art with Tumeric
Acorn Flour
**If storing acorns for later use:
Place them in freezer-safe bags or containers and freeze until you’re ready to grind them into flour. Alternatively, after doing the “sink or swim” test, dehydrate the acorns until completely dry and then store them in an airtight container.**
Turning Acorns into Flour
Step 1: Gather Acorns: Find a place where there are oak trees. If you find freshly fallen acorns, you will have less weevil grubs to deal with. Where I live, in western Massachusetts, the end of September-October is the best time to gather acorns (when they are falling out of trees and the caps come right off)
Step 2: Remove caps and play "sink or swim": Put the acorns in a bucket then fill it with cold water. Scoop out any that rise to the top.
Step 3: Shell the acorns: Use a nutcracker, pliers or a heavy object to break the shell and remove the nut (I use a Davebilt nutcracker) The acorns will oxidize after a while as you shell them. If you don't want them to, drop them in a bowl of water as you shell them.
Step 4: Leach out the bitter tannins: There are two methods for removing tannins from acorns: hot-water leaching and cold-water leaching. Each has its advantages, but I prefer the cold-water method. This approach preserves the natural starches in the acorns, which makes the finished meal ideal for baking and other starch-rich recipes. To begin, grind the acorns into a coarse meal using a food processor, blender, coffee grinder, or mill. Fill a large jar about halfway with the acorn meal, then top it off with cold water, stirring well to release any trapped air. After a few hours, the meal will sink to the bottom, and the water will turn brown as the tannins leach out. Keep the jar refrigerated, and once or twice a day, carefully pour off the tinted water and refill the jar with fresh cold water. Continue this process for several days, tasting a small amount after the third day. When the bitterness is gone, strain the meal in a colander lined with cheesecloth and press firmly to remove as much moisture as you can. (I leach for about 4-5 days)
Step 5: Dry the Acorn Meal: You can use a dehydrator or an oven or pan. Spread the meal in a thin layer. If using a dehydrator dry at lowest temperature for 12-24+ hours until completely dry. Once completely dry, grind into a finer texture to make flour. (I use a Cgoldenwall 700g Electric grain grinder)
the light layer on top of the meal
is the starch. If you want a rich and more traditional flavor do not pour off the starch!
Making dough out of acorn flour for delicious acorn bread
Acorn Foraging by Alicia Bayer is a great book that provides all the information you need about harvesting acorns!
Staghorn Sumac Lemonade
​
Ingredients:
I cup staghorn sumac berries(cluster)
4 cups cold water
Sweetener to taste
​
Directions:
1. Collect and clean: Gently shake or rinse off any dirt or bugs (do not soak the clusters just give them a quick rinse)
2. Crush the berries: Break up or gently rub the clusters with your hands to loosen the red coating. (this helps release the tart flavor)
3.Soak: Place the clusters in a jar or pitcher with 4 cups of cold water. Stir or gently mash them a bit.
4. Steep: let them steep in the jar from 2 hours to over night (up to 24 hours). Stirring occasionally. The longer they steep the stronger the flavor. I ALWAYS let sit for at least 12 hours.
5. Strain: pour through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove all the hairs and seeds.
6. Sweeten and serve: Add honey, sugar or any other sweetener to taste, stir well and pour over ice!
**Tip: use COOL/COLD water. do not use hot water. Using cold water helps preserve the nutritional value. Hot water can also pull out the bitter tannins from the seeds and stems making the lemonade taste bitter.
