Real Food Encyclopedia | Mulberries

It’s a crying shame that blackberries and raspberries get such prime billing when fresh mulberries (Morus) are more common — and often free, since they grow wild on trees and are generally foraged, not commercially grown.

Even if you’ve never popped one in your mouth, mulberries have probably touched your life in one way or another. Ever walked across a sidewalk that’s turned into a blackish-purple mess of smashed mulberries? Returned to find your car splattered like a Jackson Pollack painting (the after effects of a few birds’ berry feast)? Perhaps you’ve worn silk? (read on!) It’s a safe bet that there’s a mulberry tree near you somewhere — go out and enjoy some before they go to the birds.

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What to look for when buying mulberries

You’re not going to find mulberries at the grocery store, but you might find them at the farmers’ market. They are not grown commercially, due to the fact that they are labor-intensive to harvest and have a short shelf-life. So you’re mostly dealing with a wild, foraged food.

If you go out foraging for them yourself, look for firm berries that haven’t been pecked by birds or damaged by insects. They’re hard to pick, so it’s generally advised to shake the tree down onto a tarp. Or here’s a neat hack: hold an umbrella upside down, jostle the branches with the umbrella’s shaft and the loose berries will fall into the open umbrella.

Since many mulberries out there are hybrids between red, white and black, there’s a spectrum of what level of ripeness has the best flavor. It can be a little difficult to determine the type of mulberry tree you find. There are mulberry identification guides to help. Most of the berries you’ll see will start out hard and greenish white. As mulberries ripen, they will expand and change colors from pink to red to finally a deep purple with red undertones. Basically, as the berry ripens it gets sweeter and loses its acidic bite. Since there will most likely be a lot of berries on the tree, test to see which stage of ripeness you prefer.

Sustainability of mulberries

Mulberries grow on trees, and trees are great for the environment! Trees hold soil and prevent erosion, cool the planet, provide habitat and lock down the carbon we keep pumping into the atmosphere. And of course, foraged food is about as local as it gets.

Pesticides

If you’re looking for dried mulberries, look for certified organic if pesticides are a concern for you. But, if you get the chance, why not just pick a bunch and dry them yourself? Thankfully, because local mulberries are pretty hardy and aren’t extremely susceptible to pests, most people won’t be spraying pesticides on them in their backyard or in the woods.

When it comes to silk production though, that’s a different story. Unfortunately, like most agricultural products that aren’t grown for human consumption, pesticide use on mulberries for silk isn’t as well regulated as it should be. Other examples of this closer to home are decorative flowers and cotton.

Cultivation

Mulberries are a pretty hardy tree and are found all across the world. Primarily there are three common species: red, black and white. Here in the U.S., the red mulberry (Morus rubra) is native, but now there are a lot of white mulberries (Morus alba) because they spread after being planted for rearing silkworms. The black mulberry (Morus nigra) tree comes from Asia as well and has also been spread about. Some people consider the black mulberry the best for eating.

When choosing a mulberry for your yard, we recommend planting a red mulberry because it’s a native species.

Seasonality  

Mulberries’ berries are typically in season from late spring through mid-summer, though you might be able to find them earlier or later depending how warm and wet your season has been. One of the best things about mulberries is that they bear a lot of fruit and they ripen over a pretty long window.

How to cook mulberries

Storing

Let’s be honest. Ripe mulberries can be pretty fragile — hence the stains. They damage easily just like brambles.

If you’re planning to cook with them, gather and store in whatever container you please. You’ll end up crushing them anyway. However, if you want beautiful, whole mulberries to sprinkle on a dessert or to compliment a local cheese on your charcuterie board, fear not. To get the best whole berries, you’ll want to pick them into a couple baskets, bins or trays. To prevent smashing, don’t mound them up and steer clear of soft bags. Metal containers work great because they won’t stain.

A note on stems: you’ll notice many of your mulberries come with the tiny little stem still attached. You can eat them, strain them out while cooking or pull them off or clip them with nail clippers.

Once you get mulberries home, get them in the refrigerator immediately and wait to wash them until right before use. Store them in an airtight container lined with paper towel.

Top photo by Ichiro/Adobe Stock.