A TikToker took to the platform to share a helpful foraging tip that serves the dual purpose of helping to combat an invasive species. 

Heidi (@thewatsoncrewfamily) posted a video showing a tasty way for people in different parts of the country to grab a free snack while hiking: look for autumn olive trees.

@thewatsoncrewfamily An invasive berry to eat and enjoy. #forager #foraging #michigan #invasivespecies #berries ♬ original sound - Heidi

She explains that autumn olives make "a good trail snack," and have a somewhat sour taste that becomes sweet after the first few moments. She explains that you can make a delicious jam out of the fruit from the tree as well, but cautions that you're going to need a lot of the berries if you hope to do that. 

The poster also recommended getting a berry picker if your goal is to make jam, as it makes the process of collecting the number of autumn olive berries you need easier and less time-consuming. 

Autumn olive is a shrub native to Asia that arrived in North America in 1830. It was brought over as an ornamental plant that could provide food and habitat to wildlife, according to The Nature Conservancy. It very quickly spread unchecked across the eastern and northwestern United States, fueled by temperate forests and strong precipitation. 

Several factors make the Autumn olive a dangerous invasive species. It outcompetes local plants for resources, grows to 20 to 30 feet wide, and changes the chemistry of the soil around it, making it tougher for native plants to grow in the same area. 

It also produces a shocking number of seeds; once it has taken root, an Autumn olive will produce 200,000 seeds each year, which either fall to the ground or are eaten and carried by birds and wildlife to other parts of the region, thereby increasing its spread exponentially.

Making matters worse, if the plant has gotten too big to be uprooted, the only effective ways to remove it are by burning it or repeatedly using herbicide on the cut trunks of the shrub to kill it once and for all. 

Removing the berries for jam minimizes the shrub's impact and significantly reduces its potential spread. 

Commenters seconded the push to eat the berries. 

Should the government be allowed to ban certain plants? Definitely 👍 No way 👎 It depends on the situation 🤔 I'm not sure 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"One of my favorites tbh," one said. 

"Ya eat it up," said another. "Get it out of here, we don't want invasives." 

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