The giant bushes are the invasive autumn olive. While my talented friend Robin (Rurification blog) makes jam from this plant's berries, we've not yet done so because the birds always beat us to the harvest, and hubby would really rather we eradicated them and substitute in our new favorite fruit: native june berries...which my friend Cake, who is as talented as Robin, helped me identify via her blog.
The reason why we have more autumn olive than we'd like on our property is that the previous owner's hobby was mowing. He would spend every weekend mowing everywhere his tractor could reach. This took down all the saplings of the big trees that we do want, such as hickories and oaks, and the first things that grow back once the mowing stops are the opportunistic buggers like the autumn olives.
There's a lesson to be learned from opportunists...
What's your favorite fruit bearing plant?
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams
