Fresh Mulberries
June 11th, 2008 | by Ingrid
The first day of summer is days away and we are well into summer berry season. The basket of mulberries pictured above was hand picked by Peter (my husband) from the mulberry tree in our backyard and we are grateful for it.
Flashback to December when we first laid eyes on the tall leafless tree, we had no idea it was a fruit-bearing tree until a few months later one spring day. On that day, Peter called for me to come outside to look at the tree. He noticed fruit growing from it. We called my mother out to join in on the investigation. She said it is a mulberry tree that bore white mulberries two years ago, and that last year it did not bring any fruit. We were surprised and delighted!
Reading about this fruit, I learned that mulberries ripen over an extended period of time unlike many other fruits that seem to come all at once. Also, botanically the fruit is not a berry but a collective fruit that resembles a blackberry.
Since our happy discovery mulberries abound. This tree is quite prolific. I have to confess, I was slightly disappointed that the mulberries were not white. They started out white to a pale yellow-green, then changed to a reddish color, then to shades of purple-lavender to dark purplish-black. My guess is that they are black mulberries, then again, they might just be white mulberries based on what I read about each variety.
The Varieties
Over a hundred varieties and many hundreds more sub-varieties exist, way too many to list here, and mulberry trees can be found in almost any altitudes and climates in the world.
Black mulberries are large, juicy, and sweet.
It is considered the best-flavored species of mulberry.
Photography by Palejewel84
Red mulberries are deep red, almost black in color.
Its flavor is similar to the black mulberry.
Photography by mkpdesigns
Pink mulberries vary in color from pink to red.
They are sweet, moist and sticky when ripe.
Photography by ajh1063
White mulberries are very sweet and are moist when ripe.
These mulberries can produce white, lavender or black fruit.
Photography by Quitter
Mulberries Nutritional Profile
Bursting with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and natural compounds, like antioxidants, mulberries are nutrient rich and add nutritional value to one’s body and enhance health. Mulberries are a super food. Listed here are some of the good things it contains.
Anthocyanins | Beta-Carotene | Calcium | Carbohydrate | Dietary Fiber | Fatty Acids | Iron | Magnesium | Malic Acid | Phosphorus | Potassium | Protein | Resveratrol | Vitamin B | Vitamin C | Vitamin K
Selecting Mulberries
If have a mulberry tree, or two, or more, then selecting them is as simple as picking the ripe fruit. On the other hand, when purchasing at a market, look for plump, well-rounded, firm berries and make sure they are dry and not leaking juice. It is a good idea to carefully check the berries in and at the bottom of the container, or basket, before purchasing to ensure none of the berries are crushed or moldy. Handle the berries gently as any that are damaged or crushed quickly loss precious vitamins.
Preparing and Storing Mulberries
These are highly perishable fruits. Once ripe and when picked, it is best to eat them as soon as you can.
Whether prepping for a recipe or preparing for serving, gently rinse, drain and pat the berries day, if necessary.
Mulberries dehydrate and freeze well too. Clean the berries, then:
To dehydrate – place the whole berries on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until the berries are completely dry through and through.
To freeze - place the berries on a flat surface, like a cutting board of a baking sheet, in a single layer, and place in the freeze until they are frozen. Transfer to an airtight freezer storage container, label and date. They should keep well up to 6 months.
Serving Mulberries
Like any other berry fruit, mulberries can be served in a multitude of ways. They combine well with other fruits. Simply use them as you would any other berry.
Try mulberries as a fruit beverage or showcase them in a dessert. I hope you will enjoy fresh mulberries while they are available.
~ ~ ~
Though I love all the wonderful berries, at this time mulberries are my new favorite. These particular mulberries are ultra sweet and after admiring the tree yet again, it appears we will be enjoying these luscious treats well into the season.
8 Responses to “Fresh Mulberries”
By Craig on Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
I’ve only had dried mulberries, you know the ones in the package and they were good but I know fresh mulberries must be a thousand times better. Looks like a visit to a farmer’s market is in order.
Hi Craig - mulberries are my new best berry fruit. They are sweet and delicious fresh. Hope you are able to try some soon.
By Jennifer on Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
Wish I had a mulberry tree in my backyard too. Those look so good I could pick a few from the picture! I like that you can see those tiny green stems on each of the mulberries, you know they are fresh.
Thanks Jennifer - Have you ever tried mulberries? If not, try finding them at your local farmer’s market, they are worth a try.
By Nanette on Jun 12, 2008 | Reply
Yummy!
Hi Nanette, they really are yummy. Thanks for stopping by.
By Melanie on Jun 14, 2008 | Reply
We just found out that we have a mulberry tree too and I just picked some this afternoon. I wanted to make a pie or jam/jelly with them and looked on the internet for some recipes. However, I wondered if you can tell me-what do you do about the stems? Even on berries that were falling off the tree the stem is hard to remove without mashing the fruit. This is not a problem for jelly but what about in a pie-do you eat the stem and all? Thanks, Melanie
Hi Melanie - how exciting you have a mulberry tree too!
Regarding the stems, there is no way around it. When you pick mulberries the stems come off the tree along with the berry. These little stems are harmless and edible. So the verdict on the stems - I believe it depends on personal preference and the type of recipe whether or not the stems stay or go.
For example, my husband made a small jar of jam from the mulberries with stems attached. Today, I whipped up a recipe featuring mulberries [which I will post here in the next day or two] and preferred to remove the stems. So I took a small pair of scissors and carefully snipped some of them off. This worked, then I thought about the spare nail clippers we have [Note: this nail clipper was unopened and unused] and Viola! It worked great! You have a bit more control and it is more precise than the scissors. I hope this helps.
Have fun creating yummy treats with mulberries.
By Kathy on Jun 20, 2008 | Reply
We just picked some fresh mulberries and I’ve rinsed them several times and am still seeing a very very tiny insect on them. I put the berries into cold water and gently swished them and rinsed again. Better, but still seeing some insect. Am I just being too picky or is there some wonderful trick you can share?
Hi Kathy - what I do is rinse the mulberries in a colander, then in a bowl, submerge and swish the mulberries around in a solution apple cider vinegar dissolved in water (use about 1 tablespoon vinegar for every 1 liter of water). Repeat this step, as needed. Give the mulberries a final rinse in fresh cool water. Adding vinegar to the water is a great way to clean and help remove unwanted particles from mulberries and other fruits and vegetables.
By Chris on Jun 22, 2008 | Reply
We just discovered 3 massive mulberry trees and 2 huge cherry trees on a friends property.
Today we picked at least 2 bushel baskets full of cherries. I did pick about a pint of mulberries and will go back tomorrow to pick more.
Does anyone have some good recipes for mulberries? The trees are loaded and I think we’re going to have a bumper crop for some time to come.
Hi Chris - Is there a particular way you are thinking of using mulberries or are you open to any recipe? I plan to whip up more mulberry recipes soon and if I find any that sound interesting, I will certainly pass them along to you. Thanks for stopping by.
By Brad on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply
Hi Ingrid, thanks for clarifying the whole stem issue. We just discovered two giant mulberry trees in our backyard. You might be interested in a website I found that had around 600 different recipes for mulberries. As we just discovered the trees last week, I can’t say we’ve tried anything more than eating them raw. Delish!
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=mulberry
Brad - Over 600 mulberry recipes ~ no more worrying about what to do with all those mulberries! Thank you for sharing this link.
By Barbara on Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
Thank you for your site! We found a ‘wild’ mulberry tree in the hedgerow that is a farmer’s field away. He had given us permission to pick the black raspberries and we not only found the Mulberry tree, but a sweet cherry tree as well! I was wondering what to do with the stems on the Mulberry and after searching many sites, I found this one!
Dear Barbara - It is ironic that you mention black raspberries. Today I returned from a week vacation in the beautiful state of Oregon. I thoroughly enjoyed all the fresh in-season berries, including black raspberries. How lucky your are to have permission to handpicked them. I hope that my mulberry stem removal technique comes in handy for you and I am happy you enjoy this site.