So I come downstairs for lunch, and there's this container of berries on the counter. I know we didn't have them yesterday, and no one has been to the store. So I ask where they came from.
"They were on the tree down by the beach."
Uhhh ... Excuse me?
"Yeah, the blackberry tree."
I'll skip the back-and-forth and get to the bottom line. They're not blackberries, they're actually mulberries. As in "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush ..."
Some very black.
Some, more red.
And after a good rinsing, they taste like tart red grapes.
Cool, my daughter is foraging now.
18 comments:
HAAAA!!!! You have MULBERRIES! You could make a Slippery Slope now. Just don't give it to your daughter.
We have a mulberry tree by our church, and the kids could hardly wait every year until they were ripe. They would all come home with purple lips, hands and feet.
Now, my son and his wife have one in their backyard,and count it as a blessing from God.
I like mulberries.
My father has a mulberry bush/tree in his front yard...he loves to take his grandkids and great grandkids out to pick some and stain their hands whenever they visit!!!
Kristin, right now I only have those two dozen or so. I need to take a walk down to the beach with the kids, and a bucket.
Linda, these were pretty sandy, from growing on the beach. I had to rinse them three times before the water ran clear.
Yeah, we had a huge mulberry tree in our old backyard. I could always tell when the fruits were out because 1) the kids tracked purple all inside the house and/or 2) the raccoon poop on the deck was purple.
They are really seedy, though. I wouldn't recommend eating them straight unless you want all those gritty seeds between your teeth, even though the taste is fine. Or there might be raccoon cooties on them, because seriously, when they were blooming, the raccoons would stay up in that tree all night feasting on them. We could hear them munching.
That is all.
I don't know what kind of mulberries others have eaten, but mine are always soft, tart, and delish, no seeds at all. They must have them confused with another berry.
I love mulberries! Climbed the trees as a kid and ate a zillion. Now my wonderful telephone lineman husband finds the trees and brings me cups full all the time. I wash them well and down them like candy, little green stems and all. They are best eaten the same day as picked, good in yogurt or add a little sugar in a pan with berries and make a topping for pancakes or ice cream. Fantastic!!! Your daughter is lucky to have you to share them with. Great pics!
Nice! How old is she? We had a couple mulberry trees in a park I played in as a kid, I used to eat them all the time.
katklaw, I didn't notice any seeds, or at least no more than with strawberries.
Bob, the older one -- who picked the berries -- will be 9 next week. The younger is 6-1/2.
Well here in Virginia there are these berries that grow in vines and thy are very small.They also can be different colors. I am told not to eat them but what could they be?
Wow, that's umm ... not nearly enough info to go on. As a general rule, if I don't know what it is, I don't eat it.
If you want to go all caveman and try an experiment, start with just one tiny berry. If you're not sick after a half-hour, try a couple. Still not sick after another half-hour? Try another couple. Oh, and don't eat anything else while you're experimenting.
Yes, it's really tedious, but that's how you find out if they're edible. My prediction is you figure out after the first one that they just don't taste so good and give up.
I didn't realize that you come from a family of hunter-gatherers! Way to go, daughter:)
The cats are the only hunters in this family.
Those are definitely mulberries! Looks like you are well on your way to a slippery slope. =)
Already cooked down the first batch. Got it sitting in the fridge now. Looks like enough for at least two servings. Will report back ...
Make jelly! Delicious... like grape jelly.
perfect for over ice cream. a cheese cake topping or just off the tree. brings back a good memory of me on my horse. he ate the lower berries, I ate the higher ones. We both would be purple by the end of the trip. purple spots on a white car, though... ugh.
I grew up eating these from the tree in my backyard when I was growing up. Some of my happiest (and yummiest!) memories are of looking for mulberries and eating them. Once and a while my family and I used to mash them up and put them over vanilla ice cream... It would be great to do this now and to somehow add warm brownie into that mix:)
I'll tell the girls if they get another batch then I'll make some fresh ice cream. We all win.
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