Collecting, Preserving, Using, Planting and Growing Mulberries

Mulberry trees often get a ‚”bad rap” because the dark juice of the berries stains surfaces. But the sweet, mild taste of mulberries often brings back memories of barefoot summer days. What are the best ways to collect and use this versatile berry?

How to Find and Identify Mulberries

The red mulberry tree (morus rubra) is a medium sized tree with alternate, simple leaves about three to five inches long. Many mulberry trees (especially young trees) can easily be distinguished because the same tree contains both lobed and unlobed leaves. (See photo #2.)

Mulberry trees are commonly found throughout central and eastern United States and are often considered ‚”weed trees” or pests. Look for mulberry trees along fence lines, in thickets or in wooded areas.

How to Collect Mulberries

Mulberries ripen in late spring or early summer. Collect only the ripe purple or nearly black berries, as the reddish ones will be too tart. (See photo #3.) Ripe berries can easily be picked from lower branches. You can usually hold a large bowl under a branch and tap the ripe berries to make them fall. Children especially enjoy picking mulberries, but often the little ones eat more than they put into the bowl.

To collect the greatest number of berries or to collect berries from higher branches, lay a tarp or blanket underneath a tree and shake the branches, which causes the ripe berries to fall to the ground. Pour the berries into a large bowl. Mulberries collected in this manner need to be sorted and washed thoroughly.

How to Preserve and Use Mulberries

Mulberries are best eaten freshly picked off the tree, but they are also easy to freeze. Simply wash the mulberries and place in small freezer bags or sandwich bags. The stems do not need to be removed. Frozen mulberries can be used in fruit smoothies or fruit salad.

Mulberries make sweet jam, if you don’t mind the seeds. Purchase powdered or liquid pectin and follow the package directions for raspberry jam, substituting mulberries for the raspberries. Mulberries work well for freezer jam, which is easy to make and preserves the fresh taste of wild mulberries.

You may use mulberries in place of raspberries or blackberries in your favorite recipes. Mulberries work great in pies, syrups or whips.

For mulberry recipes see Mulberry Recipes for Jam, Syrup, Fruit Smoothie & Whip

How to Plant and Grow a Mulberry Tree

Gardeners seldom choose to plant mulberry trees, mostly because the berries stain driveways, cars, and anything else they come into contact with. For this reason, it is difficult to find mulberry trees at a garden store. However, mulberry trees may be purchased through catalogs or on-line.

You may also transplant a wild mulberry sapling. Look for small saplings growing near a larger mulberry tree. (Be sure to ask first before digging.) When transplanting wild saplings, it’s important to get all the roots when you remove the tree. Then dig a larger hole before replanting the tree, making sure there is plenty of loose soil for root growth. Water frequently for the first few weeks after planting.

Mulberry trees grow quickly and take little care. For the first several years, prune the mulberry tree in late fall or early spring annually to encourage full growth and low branches for easy collecting.

Even though mulberry trees are often spoken of with disdain, the fruits are plenteous and delicious and make summertime complete.