As beautiful as they are, autumn leaves can become a huge headache when it comes to clogged gutters and un-raked yards. Japan, however, has turned this seasonal flood of garbage into a tasty treat by frying their maple leaves in lightly sweetened batter.

The snack, which seems to be a specialized delicacy from the Osaka area in Japan, is made by frying Japanese maple leaves in tempura batter. The pros in the city of Minoh in North Osaka preserve the leaves for a year in salt barrels, but other recipes don’t seem to demand this lengthy step.

If you want to try making them, simply dip your cleaned and dried (ideally, Japanese) maple leaves in sweetened tempura batter and fry them in hot vegetable oil – maple syrup is optional. For a more detailed recipe, check out this link.

(h/t: neatorama, kotaku)

Image credits: Hisakuni-Sen Do

Image credits: hankyu.co.jp

Image credits: Anja Steinli

Image credits: Bert Kimura

Image credits: Lindsay

Image credits: Mino

Image credits: Otowa Wedding

Image credits: hankurealty.jp