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
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Ingredients:
I cup staghorn sumac berries(cluster)
4 cups cold water
Sweetener to taste
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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.
🥖 Homemade Clabber Rolls
4 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
1½ cups clabbered milk
1 packet (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast — OR 2 tsp instant yeast
(if using active dry yeast you will need 1/4 cup warm water)
1 tsp sugar (or up to 3 tbsp for a sweeter roll)
1½ tsp salt
â…“ cup butter softened
1 large egg (optional, for richer rolls)
3 tbsp melted butter (for brushing tops)
​
1. If Using Active Dry Yeast:
warm 1/4 cup of water to about 100-110 degrrees
Stir in the sugar and yeast and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy. (then proceed to step three)
2. If Using Instant Yeast:
No proofing needed. Add the instant yeast directly to the ingredients in Step 3.
3. Make the Dough
In a large bowl, combine 4 cups flour and salt.
Add the softened butter, clabbered milk and egg (if using).
Add the instant yeast or the yeast mixture (for active dry yeast)
Mix until a soft dough forms, adding more flour as needed until smooth but not sticky.
4. Knead
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
5. First Rise
Place dough in a greased bowl
Cover and let rise until doubled: about an hour
6. Shape the Rolls
Punch down dough and divide into 8-12 pieces.
Shape into balls and place baking sheet covered with parchment paper
7. Second Rise
Cover and let rise again until puffy (about 45 minutes)
8. Bake
Bake at 375°F for 18–22 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. Finish
Brush tops with melted butter while warm.
For extra softness, cover with a towel as they cool.
Tips
For traditional savory clabber rolls, 1 tsp sugar is ideal.
For a softer, slightly sweet flavor, increase to 1–3 tbsp sugar.
Refrigerate shaped rolls overnight if needed — just let them puff before baking.
Add 1 tbsp honey for a subtle farmhouse sweetness.
🥛 How to Make Clabber
Ingredients
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1 cup raw milk
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a clean glass jar
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Pour milk into a clean jar or bowl
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Use a wide-mouth container if possible.
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cover lightly with a cloth/rubber band
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Leave at room temperature
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Place on counter, away from direct sunlight or heat sources.
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Ideal temperature: 70–75°F
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Wait 24–48 hours
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Check after 24 hours.
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Milk will thicken and develop a slightly tangy, sour smell (if it separates just gently mix
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Use or refrigerate
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Once clabbered, you can use it immediately for baking.
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Store in the fridge for up to 5–7 days.
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Tips
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Do not use pasteurized milk — it often won’t clabber properly.
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Taste test before baking: it should be tangy.
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If the milk smells bad or has mold, discard it
Garlic Salve​
put in a blender:
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 Tbl olive oil
8 cloves of peeled garlic
5 or so drops of lavender oil​**
Blend until liquified. Strain through a fine sieve, pour into a small widemouth jar and refrigerate.
After two weeks make a new batch
**To make lavender oil, I fill a mason jar halfway with dried lavender and then cover the herb with a carrier oil (I like to use evoo, jojoba or sweet almond), leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Place the jar out of direct sunlight for 2–6 weeks, shaking it every few days. There’s a faster way to make lavender oil, but this is the method I prefer.