Nebraskaland

APRIL 2015 • NEBRASKAland 43 planned to bake into scrumptious pies or muffins for the family to enjoy when we returned to the farm for Christmas. That never happened … I got distracted with pheasant hunting, which somehow took priority over baking. The berries, however, did not go to waste. I discovered that Lucille had been including them in her ritual bowl of morning cereal and had already put a good dent in my stash. She would eventually finish them. Mulberries are often described as blackberry-like in flavor, sweet, but slightly tart, some say with a hint of vanilla. For me, their flavor is uniquely "mulberry-like," and my unrefined taste buds discern not the faintest hint of blackberry or vanilla. The flavor, size and juiciness of the berries tend to vary from tree to tree and year to year. A tree may have sweet, juicy berries, while its neighbor's fruits are rather dry, bland or unpleasant tasting. I have walked away from mulberry trees with big, tempting fruit spitting purple pulp. For me, even the best mulberries play second fiddle to wild raspberries, strawberries or plums, though I know others who favor mulberries. Don't get me wrong, when my path crosses a tree with tasty berries I will eat my fill. As a young child playing along a creek in my hometown of Millard I once ate heartily from a mulberry tree, then, wanting some for later, stuffed the front pockets of my new jeans with the soft berries. Returning home, with jeans purpled-stained with guilt, my mother was not pleased, and, like my mother- in-law years later, unimpressed with my mulberry harvesting technique. The fruits of both white and red mulberry can be used in desserts including pies, cakes and cookies, and in jams, jellies, and syrups. Kay Young, author of Wild Seasons – Gathering and Cooking Wild Plants of the Great Plains, said that tartness can bring out the mulberry flavor and often adds gooseberries or rhubarb to her mulberry desserts. I have eaten commercially dried mulberries which were excellent – chewy with a fig- like flavor. These can serve as a raisin substitute and be ground into flour. Mark Dietz, a friend and self-described mulberry connoisseur from Papillion, has assured me that mulberries make excellent wine. He has also eaten red mulberries, which I have not, and declares them sweeter and finer fare than white mulberries. Red mulberry is a far less prolific fruit producer than white mulberry, however, and being a high-branched tree, its fruits can be difficult to reach. White mulberry is a tree for which I have mixed emotions. I find the sprawling, gnarled trees in our farmyard stately and their shade refreshing on a hot summer day. While cutting the invading young mulberries from our tree belts and fencelines, is anything but fun, I suppose it is the price for having sweet mulberries with my pancakes. ■◗ n whatever manner you take mulberries from the tree, transport them home in shallow containers so that the bottom layers of fruit will not be crushed. To avoid spoilage and to remove the tiny insects that are sometimes present between the segments of the fruit, sort the mulberries as soon as possible after they have been picked, then soak them for about 3 minutes in salt water – ¼ cup salt to 1 gallon of water. Drain the salty water and very gently rinse the mulberries in clear water. It is important to handle the fruits gently. Because mulberries soon become moldy even when refrigerated, it is best to keep them no more than 24 hours after they have been picked." – Kay Young Caring for Mulberry Fruit From Kay Young's book Wild Seasons. and to remove Fresh-picked mulberries, cleaned and ready for eating, baking or freezing for later use.

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