The Ultimate Cozy Guide to Foraging for Mulberries
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It’s mulberry season here in Iowa! In the early summer months, the mulberries are ripe and ready for picking on our little hobby homestead in the Heartland. Mulberries can be found across the United States and various temperate climates across the globe, and they are all well known for their ability to provide food, medicine, and even craft various tools that humans have used for thousands of years. In this cozy guide, I hope to share with you my tips and experience on how to forage for mulberries as well as how to harvest and store mulberries in your kitchen, and what to make with mulberries.
what are mulberries?
Mulberries, or Morus, are the fruit from the Mulberry Tree in the family Moraceae. They are related to figs and breadfruit. There are several varieties of mulberries, with many of them being native to China. The berries are commonly black, white, or red, and they are often made into juice, jam, tea, wine, or other canned food. They can also be dried and eaten!
Mulberries can be found all across the U.S. and other parts of the world, though they are commonly foraged for and not sold in grocery stores. This is, in part, due to their highly perishable nature. They do not store well, so they have to be used quickly after being harvested. Where I live in Iowa, the Red mulberry is the only native variety that grows. However, you can find the White and Black Mulberry trees here, too. These varieties of mulberry are native to China and western Asia, and they were introduced to the U.S. to support the silkworm industry. Did you know that mulberries are the only food that silkworms eat?
are mulberries good for you?
Mulberries are incredibly beneficial for your health, like many other berries that are growing in the summer months. They are higher in protein than other berries, especially when they are consumed dried. They are particularly rich in vitamin C and iron, but they also contain higher amounts of vitamins K1 and E and are a great source of potassium.
Like other dark black and blue colored edible berries, they are high in antioxidants. They also contain flavonoids that fight free radicals in your body, which limits oxidative stress. There is research backing evidence that mulberries are excellent for preventative care in heart health, cognitive health, and age-related eye issues.
mulberries in folklore:
I am sure many of you know the nursery rhyme about the monkey that chased the weasel around a mulberry bush! This little tale is one of many about the beloved mulberry, which has been included in art of all kinds. It has been called the “tree of life” or “tree of immortality” and is considered to be the oldest plant used by humans, if you can believe it. It has been revered as a “tree of gold” by some, including the Roman poet Virgil, because of its extraordinary ability to be a plant for food, medicine, and toolmaking.
You may be familiar with the myth of the Babylonian lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe. The two were forbidden to see each other by their rivaling families and lived in separate houses, but they would whisper to each other through the wall. They arrange to meet near a tomb underneath a mulberry tree, which has white fruit, so they can escape together and elope.
Much like Romeo and Juliet, there is much confusion and Pyramus ends up falling on his sword with his blood staining the white mulberries. Thisbe meets the same fate, and the Gods are touched by their mourning, in which they decide to change the color of mulberries to dark red.
where to find mulberries:
Mulberries can now be found all around the world. They are often growing wild, though there are several that are cultivated and various temperate world regions. They are native to South Asia, but they have since been distributed throughout Europe, Southern Africa, South America, and North America. The species Morus alba, or the White Mulberry, is the species that silkworms eat and has become invasive in Brazil and the United States.
If you are on the hunt for mulberries, you can most often find them in temperate climates, usually Hardiness Zones 5 through 9, in areas with overgrown trees. They are usually hiding in parks and wooded areas.
They take around 10 years to bear fruit when grown from seed, and this has been apparent since I only really noticed our tree line was completely filled with mulberries about two summers ago. Before then, I never noticed any fruit on them at all. They have since spread along the entire tree line and are quite invasive. You may, indeed, find an entire mulberry “patch” when hunting for trees!
identifying mulberries:
The mulberries in the United States are usually going to be the White Mulberry (Morus alba), the Black Mulberry (Morus nigra), or the American Mulberry (Morus rubra). Each has different characteristics, so you have to be careful when it comes to identifying your tree. In particular, mulberry trees can have both lobed and unlobed leaves, which can be quite confusing!
White Mulberry (Morus alba): Unlobed leaves with a glossy texture and light green color.
Black Mulberry (Morus nigra): Lobed alternate, ovate to heart shaped leaves with more texture in the leaves and are sandpaper-like.
American Mulberry (Morus rubra): Lobed leaves with a sinus-step tooth where the lobes meet, sometimes an elongated tip.
As you can see from my photos, I have Black Mulberries on my farm.
There are also variations to the fruit on the different species of trees. The berries generally are ripe and ready for picking in the early summer months.
White Mulberry: Fruit turns white when ripe, and it will have purple-black seeds that are visible.
Black Mulberry: The fruits are purple-black and look like large blackberries.
American Mulberry: The fruits are first red and then turn purple-black when ripe.
The trees themselves are often slender-limbed and small. They can grow to be about 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) tall.
when to harvest mulberries:
Before you ever consume any wild foraged plants, it is always important to make sure that you have properly identified the plant in question. Make sure that you have done your research to avoid poisonous lookalikes. Thankfully, there really aren’t any lookalikes of mulberries.
Mulberries do not keep well, so it is important to harvest when they are fully ripe and when you plan to use them soon after picking. Depending on the type of mulberry tree that you are picking from, the berries are usually fully ripened when they are deep red or purple-black, like a blackberry. Mulberries do not continue to ripen after being picked, so plan accordingly.
HOW TO PICK MULBERRIES:
Use a Bucket or Basket. In my experience, mulberries tend to fall right off the tree if they are shaken while you pick other berries with your hands. It can be wise to have a basket or bucket in one hand while picking with the other to catch any that fall. Make sure not to pack too much weight into your container so that you do not crush the berries at the bottom.
Lay Out a Tarp. Like I said, berries will certainly fall while you are picking, so laying out a tarp or a sheet on the ground can be helpful if you want to make the most of your harvesting. This can also work for getting any berries that are too high to reach, by shaking the tree gently to release the ripe berries.
Wear Gloves and Work Clothes. Mulberries stain terribly!! If you want to protect your hands from staining for a couple of days, wear gardening gloves or latex gloves. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty or stained.
Leave Squishy Berries on the Tree. I have come to notice that if a berry is particularly squishy and difficult to pull off the tree, it’s going to be bad. The best berries pluck easily off the tree and remain in tact. Insects like flies and gnats really love mulberries, so be prepared to be dealing with buzzing around your head and finding lots of critters on the berries while you pick.
Wash Your Berries. Most berries are not recommended to be washed immediately after picking because they have a protective bloom on them that prevents them from going bad. For instance, you’re not supposed to wash blueberries until just before eating, or they will rot faster in your fridge. However, mulberries should be washed in a dish of cold water after picking to remove any insects or debris. Because mulberries need to be used quickly, it is advised to wash them after picking and before storage. I find it’s easiest to protect the berries from damage by submerging them in cool water vs rinsing them under a stream of water.
how to store and preserve mulberries:
Mulberries can be preserved in various ways, though they do not tend to store very long when kept fresh. They will begin to mold quickly, so it’s best to provide them with good air circulation and keep them as dry as possible.
Refrigerator Storage: Wash and gently pat the mulberries dry with paper towels or a clean cloth. Place the mulberries in a shallow container lined with parchment paper to absorb any excess moisture. You may also choose to place them in a mesh basket sitting on top of parchment. They can be left uncovered, or covered, and will last for about 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
To Freeze: To freeze mulberries, wash and pat them dry as above. Lay them out on parchment lined baking sheets, spaced evenly apart so that they are not touching. Place the baking sheets into the freezer to flash freeze the berries, which takes about 3 to 6 hours. This will prevent them from getting freezer burn and freezing into a large clump. Transfer the frozen berries to freezer containers and store for 1 year or longer.
To Can: You can easily preserve mulberries by canning them! They can be canned in a multitude of ways, just as any other berry of the same kind. You can turn them into jam, jelly, wine, juice, syrup, or can them whole in a simple syrup.
cooking with mulberries:
Mulberries have an interesting tart yet sweet flavor. Personally, I am not a huge fan of them all by themselves, but I do enjoy cooking with them. I think any foraged food is wonderful, and this one is really easy to work with. Even though the flavor is not the greatest, and I certainly wouldn’t compare it to a blackberry or blueberry, they can still be a wonderful addition to baked goods, jams and jellies, or syrup as the sugar really cancels out any tartness you may taste.
Here are some mulberry recipes from my blog:
final thoughts:
I hope that you enjoyed this easy guide to foraging for mulberries!
Mulberries are full of extraordinary medicinal benefits. I also love learning about plant folklore, especially when I am foraging for unique ingredients.
This cozy guide is meant to help take the pressure off of gathering and preserving wild foods, and I truly believe that even just gathering a few mulberries for one small cup of tea or a jar of jam is just as grand as storing enough to last you for the entire winter.
xoxo Kayla
