The Sweet Taste of Summer: Mulberries
Mulberries ready for a pie.
The Sweet Taste of Summer: Mulberries
Taking a break from projects to spend a little time in the kitchen. Nothing says summer to me quite like mulberries. As a child, my sister and I would climb our mulberry trees and eat mulberries until our hands, faces, and feet were stained purple! I just love mulberries. I'm lucky that our new yard has mulberry trees lining the creek at the bottom of the hill. I picked enough mulberries to make a pie and 10 jars of jam this summer.
This brings back childhood memories.
My favorite way to harvest mulberries is to lay out a sheet or tarp, then grab a limb and shake. The ripe ones fall to the tarp and are easy to collect. I no longer climb trees! If you want to pick mulberries, be prepared to use them quickly as they are only good for a couple of days. I also like to soak them in water with added vinegar or lemon juice to get rid of any worms or insects that may be hiding in the berries.
Mulberry pie with butterfly cutouts.
When working with mulberries in a pie, I like to make a buttery crust that complements the mulberries perfectly. Remember that mulberries are a low pectin fruit when making jam. An added bonus is that mulberries are surprisingly good for you.
The butterfly cutouts looked more like bats after it baked. It was delicious with vanilla ice cream anyway.
One last thought on Mulberries:
I recently realized they sell dried mulberries on line for health benefits and you can use the mulberry leaves in tea. I dried the remaining mulberries I had left after baking and plan to use them this winter in muffins or in a granola mix. Here are some resources about mulberries and the recipes I used for those who are interested:
Dried and ready for use this winter.
Health Benefits of Mulberries - WebMD
Mulberry Pie Recipe - Forager Chef
Harvesting Mulberries - My Frugal Home
Mulberry Jam Recipe - Hilda’s Kitchen
Dried Mulberries -Holland & Barrett
