It’s that time of year again- wild berries are ripening! First up for us- mulberries!

Mulberries are a delicious superfood. Chalk full of protein and iron. They also have a high amount of vitamin C, fiber, calcium, and antioxidants. The hard work (really just time consuming) of picking is totally worth it.

Mulberry trees can be found in the woods, backyards, fields, etc. We harvested from the one in my parents back yard. If you don’t have one yourself, ask around- I bet you will find someone who has one and is willing to share their bounty!

Mulberry picking can be a bit tedious… okay VERY tedious. But seriously worth it.They aren’t the biggest of berries and make quite the mess but our “system” seems to work well! If you have a smaller tree or bush and can reach a lot of berries from the ground, it is easy to pick them off the branches. This tree is gigantic (seriously!) so shaking them out is the best way to gather a harvest.

All you need is a clean tarp and something to put the mulberries in. Lay the tarp on the ground directly under the tree and shake, shake, shake! My husband is part bear (haha) so he loves to climb up in the tree to get even more. The ripe berries will fall down and land on the tarp, where you can easily gather them up.

Laying the tarp out gives you less of a chance of picking up a bad mulberry that has been on the ground for awhile. Also, you end up with less bugs. Yes, I said LESS. There still will be bugs in your mulberries so its important to sort through them when you get home.

Now, lets address the purple elephant in the room. The stains. Mulberries will stain anything they come in contact with. This really is the biggest downfall to picking mulberries and the reason why many people cut down their mulberry trees. Bird poop after the bird has been eating mulberries…. purple. Bare feet/shoes after walking under a mulberry tree… purple. Fingers/hands for DAYS after picking mulberries… purple. Luckily it does wash off skin fairly easy (except under fingernails) but it can be tricky to get out of clothes.

In the end of my YouTube video I talk about my “trick” to getting these pesky stains out. With four kids helping pick- we had LOTS of stains! PS…. your clue is boiling water. 😉

Now that you know how to pick mulberries, its time to make something with them! Mulberries can be dried, made into jam, put in desserts, added to smoothies- the possibilities are endless! Get creative with your harvest and have fun! 

Be sure to check out my YouTube video of us picking mulberries! If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to subscribe so you don’t miss any fun homesteading videos!

Until next time,

Melissa

***Check out my delicious Mulberry Pie recipe!!!