A few weeks ago Kristina and I were taking a walk and I found this tree.
It is more like a large shrub, it does not have a true center trunk, but it was loaded with berries. I looked it up and they were Mulberries!
They look like black berries, but with a stem. They are mildly sweet without big seeds like blackberries, and none of the tartness of blackberries.
The tree produces prolifically over a long period of time. There are many overripe berries on the ground but the branches are loaded with black (ripe) berries, red berries, and green (immature) berries. I have since found more mulberry trees, but they were in a forest and were not as prolific as this. It has full sun and is on a riverbank.
I picked about 1/2 gallon the day after I found this tree and made a cobbler and froze the rest. To freeze place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Then freeze and place into a zip top bag. That way they are individually frozen and you can use as many or as few as you like. Then yesterday I went back and picked 3 quarts worth. It sure is nice to be able to pick berries for free that you can not even buy at the store. I also took some cuttings from this tree which I am trying to root. The first one to root will be mine, the second has been promised too, but if the cuttings take I may have 20 more! The cuttings have been in a rooting medium for 2 weeks and only 2 have turned brown.
Here is a cobbler recipe that I modified from another web site.
It is more like a large shrub, it does not have a true center trunk, but it was loaded with berries. I looked it up and they were Mulberries!
They look like black berries, but with a stem. They are mildly sweet without big seeds like blackberries, and none of the tartness of blackberries.
The tree produces prolifically over a long period of time. There are many overripe berries on the ground but the branches are loaded with black (ripe) berries, red berries, and green (immature) berries. I have since found more mulberry trees, but they were in a forest and were not as prolific as this. It has full sun and is on a riverbank.
I picked about 1/2 gallon the day after I found this tree and made a cobbler and froze the rest. To freeze place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Then freeze and place into a zip top bag. That way they are individually frozen and you can use as many or as few as you like. Then yesterday I went back and picked 3 quarts worth. It sure is nice to be able to pick berries for free that you can not even buy at the store. I also took some cuttings from this tree which I am trying to root. The first one to root will be mine, the second has been promised too, but if the cuttings take I may have 20 more! The cuttings have been in a rooting medium for 2 weeks and only 2 have turned brown.
Here is a cobbler recipe that I modified from another web site.
Ingredients
2 cups of mulberries (cut the stems off because the stems are not tasty).
1/4 cup of honey or sugar
6 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup flour,
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees .
Melt the butter and pour it into an eight inch square glass dish. Now mix all of the dry ingredients, and add the milk. DO NOT ADD the berries. Feel free to add things like granola or lemon zest to the batter if it strikes your fancy. Mix the batter in a bowl, then pour it into the baking dish with the butter. Do not mix it with the butter. Sprinkle the mulberries over the top of the batter.
Bake for about twenty minutes. You will know it is done when a knife comes out clean of batter when it is inserted in the middle of the cobbler. If the batter is too wet or you use more berries it can take 35 minutes to be done.
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents had a mulberry tree in their backyard. They pruned it to a round/mushroom type shape and wasn't very tall. There was a concrete lined pond with drain shaped around about 2/3s of the tree trunk. It had a lot of direct sun. Funny I don't remember eating them. Mom might remember. Anyway it was fun to see your entry on the mulberry tree.
Carol